Obituary: Mrs. Vita “Marie” (Muscillo) Fidanza, 88, of Waterbury

Obituary courtesy of Chase Parkway Memorial/The Albini Family Funeral Home

VITA "MARIE" FIDANZA

“Loving wife, mother, grandmother, and aunt”

WATERBURY, CT - Mrs. Vita “Marie” (Muscillo) Fidanza, 88, of Waterbury, CT, passed away peacefully at the Mansfield Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation in Storrs, CT on Friday, January 29, 2021. She was the beloved widow of Agostino “Gus” Fidanza Jr. who passed in 2012.

Marie was born in Waterbury, June 15, 1932, daughter of the late Dominic and Antoinette (Tuscillo) Muscillo. She was a graduate of Waterbury Catholic High Class of 1950. She met her husband Gus while working for Bozzuto’s Candy and they were married in 1956. They lived in the house that Gus built for their entire married life together. After a time being a stay at home mom, she went to work as an administrative assistant for St. Vincent DePaul Society Shelter for the Homeless until her retirement.

Marie loved to spend time with family and friends and nothing made her happier than to have her dinner table full of food and people there to enjoy it. She was also proud of her lifelong friendships with a group of women that knew each other from childhood. They got together under the guise of a ”book club” and, although an exchange of books would take place from time to time, it was more about staying a part of each other’s lives. Marie (and Gus) also enjoyed traveling to Aruba with friends and it became an annual trip for many years. A parishioner of Blessed Sacrament Church, Marie could be found in the same pew every Saturday at 3:35p waiting for the 4 o’clock Mass to begin.

Marie leaves to honor and cherish her memory; her son, James A. Fidanza and his wife Elizabeth of Ellington; her grandchildren that she took great pride in, Alyssa Fidanza of Providence, RI and Andrew Fidanza of Wareham, MA; her sister, JoAnn Muscillo of Wolcott; and her dearly loved nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother, Savino Joseph Muscillo and her baby girl, Annette.

Marie’s family would like to express their heartfelt appreciation for the loving care she received at Mansfield Center during her stay and also to Marie’s neighbor and dear friend Mary who checked in on her every day for many years.

Arrangements: A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Thursday February 4, 2021 at 11 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church 182 Robbins Street Waterbury. Everyone is asked to meet directly at the church. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery. Chase Parkway Memorial/The Albini Family Funeral Home, 430 Chase Parkway, Waterbury has been entrusted with the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made in Marie’s memory to:
Blessed Sacrament Church
182 Robbins Street
Waterbury, CT 06708