Obituary of Nancy J Saia

Nancy J. Saia, an Italian immigrant who embraced a new life in the United States, but kept her Italian values and traditions passed away after a long illness on Saturday, March 16, 2024.  She was 84 years old.  Nancy was born and raised in the little town of Tufo, Italy. The town of Tufo, with its population of less than one thousand, is tucked in the hills between the two provinces of Benevento and Avellino that comprise Irpinia, the eastern half of the Campania region.  It was a town that was stuck in the past with its architecture, values and traditions. She was the daughter of Guerino and Filomena Mosca Grassi.  She was the only daughter and had six brothers who watched out for their little sister.  Being the only daughter, she spent quite a lot of time in the kitchen with her mother helping with the meals.  She became an exceptional cook.  Her brother, Manfredi, was the first to immigrate to the United States.  He then sent for Nancy to follow him.  She came to the United States in 1969, at the age of 30, with very little English.  She embraced her new country, went to school to learn the language, and went to work at Polaroid as an inspector.  She was introduced to Nicholas Saia by a mutual friend and the couple were married in 1975 and settled in Burlington with all Nick’s brothers in 1977.  When she became a mother, she remained home to care for her daughter and created a warm and loving home.  Her home was a little bit of Italy.  She had four gardens so she could grow her own vegetables, the aroma emanating from her kitchen brought you back to Italy, and she kept many of the values and traditions she had learned from growing up in Tufo.  She was a talented seamstress and loved to crochet.  Her sauce was delicious.  She would make gallons of it at a time and bottled it to be used in the winter months.  She returned to Italy many times, often staying for months at a time.  She wanted her husband and daughter to know her siblings and their Italian nieces, nephews, and cousins as well as appreciate her childhood home.  It was as if she would turn on a switch upon landing and Italian Nancy would appear with her language, gestures, and personality.  She was so excited when she became a “Nonna”.  She would smother her grandchildren with love and every time she saw them, she was so excited and happy.  Nancy had a wonderful life filled with family and love and she will be missed, but lovingly remembered.

Nancy was the beloved wife of 49 years of Nicholas “Nick” Saia.  She was the loving mother of Annalisa Rottner & her husband Robert of Abington.  She was the proud grandmother of Vivian Rottner and Adrian Rottner.  She was predeceased by her brothers Luigi, Augusto, Aurielo, Giuseppe, Gregorio, and Manfredi Grassi.  She was the sister-in-law of Frank Saia & his late wife Mary, Pasquale “Pat” Saia & his late wife Joan, Anthony and Marie Saia, Anna Mae Saia & her late husband Joseph "Joe"and Margaret "Peggy" Marasa and her late husband, Ralph Marasa. She was also survived by many nieces and nephews in the United States and in Italy.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, March 20 at Noon at St. Malachy Church, 99 Bedford Street, Burlington.  Services will conclude with a burial in Pine Haven Cemetery in Burlington. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Nancy’s name may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. 

For online guestbook see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net.  Arrangements by the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, Burlington.