Cecelia Abruscato

She was a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, wife, sister-in-law, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, great-aunt and friend. Born in New York, New York, to Cecelia and John Bowe, she is preceded in death by her parents, her brothers John Bowe, Robert Bowe (Jeanne, widow), James Bowe, and her husband Richard Abruscato.

Ceil was the devoted mother of Rich Abruscato Jr. (Lurdes) and Gina Damaia (Fred), a proud grandmother to Tony Damaia (Abbi), Gianni Damaia , Richie Abruscato III (Alex Hobbs), and Allison Abruscato, and a cherished great-grandmother to Charlie Damaia and her namesake, newborn Cecelia Damaia. She is survived by them, her second husband, Preston Olinger, her brother, Thomas Bowe, and by other extended family and loved ones.

The shy Irish Catholic girl who asked for milk at her boyfriend’s Sunday dinner so many years ago quickly embraced his boisterous Italian American family, and helped grow it beautifully. She was the one who held down the fort through the many years of her husband’s work travels, the keeper and organizer of all the stuff that comes with life, the trusted maker of manicottis and sauce (until Ally took over), the deliverer of messed-up punch lines, the rider of rollercoasters with her kids and grandkids, and the meticulous cleanup brigade after every event.

When her children were of school age, Ceil served as a docent at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., before entering the corporate insurance field and working for insurance companies in the Washington metropolitan area until retirement.

But she would happily tell you her crowning achievement was her family. She hosted countless family gatherings, many that friends and family always looked forward to, at her home in Potomac, Maryland, and later, the “Almost Heaven” home in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. She traveled extensively as part of her husband’s airline career and took great pleasure in sharing her travel experiences with family.

Ceil loved all card games, famously playing pounce with Marilyn Abruscato all night long while in labor with Rich Jr., and was a part of multiple bridge groups in her later years. She was a cutthroat Scrabble player, a lover of tennis, a Zumba and spin class enthusiast and an eager-if-incapable jigsaw puzzle participant.

Ceil was known as a champion shrimp and seafood eater, and though she’d rarely order dessert, there wasn’t a cherry pie, raspberry chocolate cake or coconut ice cream she could resist stealing a bite off from someone at the table.

She wasn’t exactly a charades champion – in fact, Ceil failed miserably at it, usually dissolving into laughter before getting anything right (please ask any one of us to share her alligator pantomime). And we have a lifetime of photos where she’s gazing off somewhere – anywhere – except at the camera. But we could always count on her laughter, her steady presence, her help, her love.

She fought cancer with remarkable courage and grace – never complaining, always steady, thinking of others first.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to your favorite cancer charity. A celebration of life to be held at a future date.