Nanny was a Bensonhurst celebrity, I remember walking to the grocery store with her and there would always be at least 10 people who waved and smiled - It was a 2 minute walk. But this isn’t a surprise based on how she treated others.
 
My sisters spoke about how much she loved our family, but she often treated our friends like her own family. Between putting her “homemade” iced tea outside the window for us while playing in the driveway, hanging the hose from the clothesline on a hot summer day, and inviting our friends over for a delicious dinner, she wanted them to feel that they had a second home…. Only on fridays because we had to do homework during the week. 
I have a fond memory of one Friday that wasn’t particularly special in any way. I got to Nanny’s house after school and was confused at the absence of cut up fruit on the table. 
She told me she would make my snack when she got back from the supermarket. Shortly after, she returned and said “Guess who’s here!” and my best friend Anthony walked in, who she picked up to surprise me. 
She always told me how much she loved him, and I know that when he stepped foot in her house, she treated him like he was my brother. 
This is just one example of how Nanny would always go out of her way to make us happy. When we smiled, she smiled, when we were sad, she hugged us, and when we succeeded, she beamed with pride. 

Nanny was our family rock, and although she is no longer here with us, the collection of impactful memories and values she has left behind will forever be in our foundation. We love you Nanny and we’re going to miss you so much. I know you are watching over us and we hope we make you proud


Based on these stories, you would think she came from a long history of education where it was ingrained into who she was, but that would be very far from the truth. 
She immigrated from Sicily with nothing but the desire to make a better life for her family. She learned that with discipline, love, and education, you will be equipped with the necessary tools in life to be successful. 
Although my siblings and I are still young, we feel that she has taught us critical skills to make a better life for ourselves, and we plan to teach the same things to our kids and grandkids. 
Nanny will forever be my role model, teaching me what it means to be a strong and independent woman. Many describe her as a tough cookie, but this came from the warmest heart. 
I will never forget our special bonding moments during our daily walks to dance practice, in rain or shine. Some days, it seemed as if she wanted to go more than I did. Besides teaching me discipline, these walks gave me the chance to spend time with her, which I will always cherish. 
We would gossip about the people at my dance studio, talk about the clothes she bought that day, and she would reminisce about all of the famous brands she sewed for. Not to mention, she was the seamstress of our family, and her talent always awed me. 
To this day, I still wear the clothes she sewed for my mom and me. And I know she would be so happy to see that today, I am wearing a dress she sewed for my mom. 
Nanny had a generational impact on this family, and it brings me comfort that she will be able to watch us and know all of her hard work was worth it. Someone with this much influence in a family is so rare and we are so lucky to have a grandma whose legacy will carry on forever.


All of you probably know us as Nanny’s grandchildren, but when thinking about the position she held in our lives, simply calling her our grandmother would be an extreme understatement. 
As we grew up, we would spend every day at her house after school, always coming home to a prepared platter of assorted cut up fruit, a glass of milk, and a maximum of 2 cookies (3 on a special day). After finishing our snack, it would be time for homework or studying, which was always done to completion, and she made sure of it. 
On days when we didn’t have much homework, we would be tasked with memorizing our multiplication tables or reading a new book in her library. For whatever we were assigned, she always quizzed us to make sure we understood everything. 
During the summers, when we really didn’t have homework, Nanny would give us her own assignments. She would assign us books to read and even make us write essays before we were allowed to go out to hang out with our friends. 

In fact, she would have stickers on books with check marks numbering how many out of the 3 of us completed the book. Nanny would always be the first to sign up as a chaperone on all of our class trips. 
She would bring a bag full of snacks and always brag to our teachers about how proud she was of us. Reflecting back, these were some of the many small reinforcements that shaped us into who we are today.


OBITUARY

Giovanna Mascara

14 February, 1932 – 15 June, 2023

Cusimano & Russo Funeral Home

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