Yvette Mary Mazzoni

In loving memory of our dearly departed mother Yvette Mary Mazzoni whom is “absent from the body and present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8, NKJV).

She leaves behind her loved ones: sons Thomas W. Kranzel, Rev. Otto Mazzoni Jr. and Patrick Mazzoni; daughters Carmela Yvette Hutto-Kirby and Debra Tate Mazzoni; granddaughters Jennifer, Ashlie, Noelle, April, Destiny and Danae; grandsons Shaun, Otto 3rd, Nicholas, Patrick Jr., Paul, Joshua, and Jason; great-granddaughters Jennifer, Jadyn, Aubryana, and Layla; and great-grandsons Cody, Justin and Chase. Yvette is now reunited with her sons Carmine Mazzoni, Perry Mazzoni, Rev. George Kranzel, and her mother Mary.

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.

2 Corinthians 5:1 (NLT)

Our Mom was a very special person … like many remember their mothers … but she was no ordinary mom. She was a strong woman who lived a life of struggle and adversity. She had to be a strong fighter to overcome the many challenges and obstacles she faced throughout her life.

Marie Bernadette Yvette Ingley was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on February 20, 1924 to Edward and Mary Ingley. Her Dad was an American living in Canada; her Mom was a Canadian whom her dad met while living there.

When she was thirteen, her family moved to Detroit, Michigan at the height of the depression where her dad found work during those hard times. Mom once told her daughter Carmela she loved opera and her childhood dream was to grow up and be an opera singer. In fact, she wanted to be “the best in the world”. As a child, she often would use a crate as a stage in the backyard and sing for hours. She would sing for her dad, her greatest fan. It was a lifelong passion for her.

All of her life, she loved music; she also loved to dance. At times, she would even dance around the house with the broom. The dancing duo, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, were among her all-time favorites.

Mom attended Jefferson High School, where she was an outstanding basketball player. It was her favorite sport.

After high school, Mom married and had two children: George and Thomas. Her husband went off to war, and, like many women of the WWII era, she found work in the defense industry.

She worked on the assembly line in Battle Creek, Michigan, assembling classified weapons systems for our fighting forces fighting the Axis on two fronts overseas.

When not working on the assembly line, Mom volunteered as an entertainer in the local USO. These clubs were set up throughout the United States and overseas, wherever soldiers and sailors gathered.

A fun-loving and inspirational woman, she was what was then called “A Dime a Dance Girl”, dancing with Uncle Sam’s soldiers and sailors, raising money in support of the war effort while simultaneously improving the morale of troops on the home front.

After the war concluded, she returned to home-making. She remarried and began the joy of adding 4 more boys and 2 girls to her growing family, now living in Lanham, Maryland, which is just outside Washington, DC.

After the twins were born, the last of her offspring, Mom and Dad divorced and she returned to the work force to provide for herself and her family.

Can you imagine raising such a large family, providing guidance and the necessities of life for them … and working full time? I can’t. Still, there was always a hot meal on the table every night.

She got a job at Sears; but, to make ends meet to provide for herself and her children, she decided to take a second job. She worked as a waitress at a local Italian restaurant, Vesuvius. When I said earlier Mom was a strong woman, (for undertaking all these responsibilities) you can see why she had to be strong!

All of Mom’s talents finally paid off, for she became the Coordinator of Food Management for Senior Citizens at Attic Towers in Tacoma Park, MD. This was a better paying job and with a retirement plan. Her son Otto had suggested she apply for this position. They accepted her immediately. She retired from this position in the Prince George’s County government in about 1994. (Imagine working until your 70, after raising six children by yourself.)

The one thing that was Mom’s joy in her later years was the fact that she still had one child at home. Unfortunately, he was physically challenged due to an accident earlier in his life. He passed away in 1996. No parent should have to bury a child. They were extremely close. This was was a horrible challenge and a deep heartache for my Mom. We watched Mom suffer terribly.

As time went on, she lived alone until her health began to deteriorate with age. Mom was still driving and running a house by herself until she was 82. In 2006, her oldest son George and her oldest daughter Carmela convinced Mom to join them and move to Colorado.

In her last few years, she fought an intense battle against diabetes and heart disease, and the difficulties of aging.

It now became our time and our loving honor, to return, in some way, all she showered upon us over all of those years.

She was the most loving and caring Mom she could possibly be. She was strong yes, but due to the life she led and the weight on her shoulders, she had to be - both strong and dedicated to her family (even more than we gave her credit for).

Her daughter Carmela asked Mom a few years ago what else she had wanted to be when she grew up if she never became an opera singer. Without missing a beat, she replied that she achieved what she wanted to do, which was to be a mother and have many babies. It was our privilege to be a part of her legacy.

Mom passed to her Heavenly reward joining Jesus Christ in His Father’s home on June 12, 2013 at the age of 89. Mom is now at rest with the rest of our family and friends in heaven. She will always be so deeply missed.

Yvette’s daughter Carmela was with her mother when she passed. Her mother’s last word was “Jesus” and she died in Carmela’s arms. And those that have made Jesus their personal Lord and Savior will find comfort in knowing they will see her again.

Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” 1 John 5:12 “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” Mom renounced all religions, trusted Jesus, and chose to surrender to him as her Lord and Savior. She saw her need for forgiveness. Her name was written in the lamb’s book of life. Therefore, when she passed away, all her debts were paid in full by the blood. She could not work her way to heaven. Jesus took the penalty for us on the cross. She just accepted his free gift.

We all have that choice. Praise Jesus Mom chose her reward. Eternal life with no suffering, no pain. “…Absent from the body and present with the Lord…” Read 2 Corinthians 5. I pray you will take a moment to bow your head and see your need for a savior. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. The penalty for sin is eternal separation from God. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

In Romans 10:9, it says that “if you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Amen. John 3:3, “Unless a man be born again he shall not see the kingdom of heaven.” Mom was a child of the King’s. Praise Jesus for the Cross! Thank all of you that were my mom’s friends. You made my mom’s life richer. You discipled her and were there for her when she needed you. Find comfort in these words.

We love you Mama.