Colette Marie Santucci

In lieu of flowers please make donations to: Catholic Charities at www.catholiccharitiesusa.org or the Salesian Missions at www.salesianmissions.org. Colette Marie Medvitz Santucci was born on October 18, 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio. She was the third of eight children born to Anna and Joseph Medvitz, and she moved with her family to California at the age of five. After graduating from high school in 1953, she worked for a time at North American Aviation in Downey. She married the love of her life, Kenneth Santucci, at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church on June 2, 1956, and they enjoyed 59 wonderful years together. Ken always said that Colette was the most intelligent, most capable and most beautiful woman he had ever met. Their first child, Anna was born in 1957, and from then on, Colette lived the vocation of motherhood to the fullest. Over the course of 23 years, Colette gave birth to 16 children: 10 boys and 6 girls. She was a stay- at-home super-mom for thirty years, keeping every aspect of the household running: meals, shopping, supervising homework and paying the bills, in addition to making sure kids made it to swim lessons, scout meetings, CCD, baseball, marching band, and whatever else. She was not only organized and hard-working, but also had a warmth about her that made all the kids’ friends feel welcome in their home. When her youngest child Rebecca was 8 years old, in 1988, with six children still living at home, Colette rejoined the workforce. She worked as an office manager for a few different employers, and also held a position in the advertising department at the Long Beach Press- Telegram newspaper. She retired in 2004. Colette's spirit of selfless service to others did not stop with raising her incredible family. For many years, she devoted her time to Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and school PTAs throughout the Long Beach Unified School District. She was a life-long devoted Catholic, and was an active member of St. Matthew’s Parish in Long Beach for 30 years. Since 1993, Colette had been active at St. Bartholomew’s Parish. She taught Confirmation classes, had been a sacristan, and until her recent illness, was the coordinator of Eucharistic Ministers and a member of the Liturgy Committee. Colette’s devotion to her husband and family, her example of strong faith and reliance on God, and her tireless service to the community made her an inspiration to many. After battling lung cancer for several months, Colette was called to her eternal rest on July 22, 2015. Colette is survived by her husband Kenneth; her sister Barbara, and her six brothers Thomas, James, Richard, Albert, Charles, and Raphael; her sixteen children Anna, Susan, Kenneth Jr., Patrick, Theresa, Frank, Paul, Monica, Christopher, David, Peter, Jerome, Mark, Anastasia, Gregory, and Rebecca; and her 26 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Please also visit http://www.presstelegram.com/obituaries/20150726/belmont-heights-matriarch-colette-santucci-dies-at-79 for an article written in the Press Telegram newspaper about Colette.