Obituary: ​Maria (Coppola) Jackowicz, 71, Formerly of Branford

Information via Clancy-Palumbo Funeral Home

Maria (Coppola) Jackowicz, 71, of East Haven, formerly of Branford passed away after a long illness June 28, 2018 at Yale New Haven Hospital. She was born November 10, 1946 in New Haven to John and Mary Rose (Benissimo) Coppola. Maria is survived by her loving husband of 48 years, Edward Jackowicz and two children, Leslie Paterni (Ron) of Pittsburgh and Matthew Jackowicz Sr. (Vivian) of East Haven and two grandchildren, Isabella and Matthew Jackowicz. Maria is also survived by her sister, Ann Cicarella (David) of Northford and three nieces, Mary Rao (Adrian Whaley) of Madison, Elisa Pitoniak (Paul) of Guilford and Kristin Manghnani (Robert) of North Haven. She is preceded in death by her parents and sister, Margaret Rao.

She lived in Branford for 35 years and participated in a number of local activities. She was an active member of the St. Mary’s Church Choir and the St. Mary’s Ladies’ Guild. She spent many years working with the Branford Public School Bus Service before moving on to work at the University of New Haven in the Residential Life Department for over a decade. After relocating to East Haven, she became a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Church Choir and the 89 Auxiliary Legion.

On Tuesday evenings, you could find Maria volunteering at the front desk of the American Legion Bingo Night. The legacy of Maria’s kind spirit and zest for life will live on through her children and grandchildren.

The Jackowicz family would like to thank all the doctors, nurses and staff at Smilow Cancer Center for their kind and compassionate care. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Smilow Cancer Center, 35 Park Place, New Haven, CT 06510 in memory of Maria Jackowicz.