Betty Frances Traguardo

Biaggia ‘Betty’ Frances Traguardo (née Maniscalco), born on April 18, 1929, passed away on February 23, 2025 at the age of 95. Betty was born and raised in New York City, where her three children were also born, but called Long Island home since moving there with her late husband Andrew Anthony Traguardo in 1972.

Before leaving the Bronx, she completed an as-yet unpublished novella, ‘Web of Deceit,’ which she declined to have released by a major publisher when they asked her to assume a pen name. She worked for a time as a Teacher’s Aide, and while raising her third child, Betty studied to earn her GED, and followed that accomplishment with certification as a Nurse Assistant. She worked in that role at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn through the late 70s and 80s.

Betty was also an accomplished artist, who worked in her late teens for a commercial design house in New York. She used her artistic skills later in life to design personalized ‘huggie pillows’ for patients struggling with post-surgical pain at the hospital and was recognized with service awards for her talents.

Betty was the beloved mother of Andrea Montoro-Valentin, Anthony Traguardo (Winifred Boyd) and the late Vincent Traguardo. She was also the cherished ‘Mumsy’ of grandchildren Gina Rodgers ( née Montoro), Alfred Montoro and John Valentin Jr., and was blessed with that same loving title by her great-grandchildren Connor and Callie Rodgers. She is survived by her younger sister, beloved Aunt Marie Nista (née Maniscalco).

Services for Betty will be held on Thursday February 27, 2025 from 4:00 to 8:00 pm at Vernon C. Wagner Funeral Homes, 125 W. Old Country Road, Hicksville, NY. If you wish to attend the interment please gather at the funeral home on Friday at 9:15 am so we can all follow the procession to the Cemetery of the Holy Rood, Westbury, NY. If you would like to make a donation in Betty's memory please make it to: Alzheimer's Foundation of America.