Obituary: Marie N. Ghio, 92, Of Bethel

Information Courtesy Green Funeral Home

BETHEL, CT — On Thursday August 12th, 2021, Marie N. Ghio, loving wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 92.

As she always proudly declared, Marie was born in Brooklyn, NY on September 22, 1928. She relished her Italian neighborhood childhood and young adult life commuting into Manhattan to work at MetLife. The roots for her love of travel blossomed with a girls’ cross-country bus trip.
In 1957 she married Serge Ghio. Serge and Marie moved their growing family in 1969 to New Fairfield, or as Marie liked to call it, the country. Together they raised their four children Marina, Serge, David, and Renato. Once her children were a bit older, she worked part-time as a unit secretary at Danbury Hospital in the Pediatrics ward.

Always one to be humble, Marie never liked to brag about her many world travels with her husband, from the mountains of Switzerland to Italy and Portugal to the blue waters of Greece and even a birthday celebration in Israel, complete with flaming swords, and more. Marie loved learning about people, places, and different cultures.

Following the death of her husband in 1993, Marie explored her creative side through watercolor and painting classes as well as tango lessons. She often remarked how dancing made her feel light and free like a butterfly. She was an avid knitter, voracious book reader, and enjoyed crossword puzzles. Marie was enthusiastic about exercise and being active. She was an active member of the Danbury Garden Club for many years and always looked forward to the annual holiday luncheon.

Upon moving to Bethel, Marie became an active member of the Bethel Senior Center enjoying chair yoga classes, ceramics, the knitting group, and especially the trips to the Westchester Dinner Theatre.

Marie’s favorite musical group was El Divo and was a superfan of many police drama TV shows. In recent months she was delighting in her new friends and the many activities at her senior living community.

Most of all Marie loved her family. Nothing made her happier than being at the center of a loud, raucous family gathering. She adored seeing all her children and grandchildren together under one roof celebrating a holiday or special occasion. She was incredibly proud of her family. She was, indeed, the heart of her family.

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” ― Chuang Tzu

Marie is predeceased by her husband Serge Ghio and her brother Vincent Laraia. She is survived by her sister Madeleine Laraia of North Carolina; her four children and their spouses, Marina and Jim Maroney of Stroudsburg, PA, Serge Ghio and Anne Wennerstrand of Norwalk, David and Mary Ghio of Trumbull, CT and Renato and Alicia Ghio of Danbury; her four grandchildren, Leonardo Ghio, Molly Maroney, Serina Ghio, and Anna Maroney; her step-grandson Liam Elkins, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Calling hours will be held on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 from 6 to 8pm at Green Funeral Home, 57 Main Street, Danbury.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, August 18th, 2021 at St. Mary Church in Bethel at 10am followed by burial at Mountain View Cemetery in New Fairfield.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Save Our Monarchs, PO Box 390135, Minneapolis, MN 55439