Angiolina Maria Coletti

Angiolina Maria was born in Tocco Casauria, PE in Italy on August 2nd 1934. Her father was Agapito Sonsini and her mother was Marianna DiGregorio. She was the second born after her sister Carmela, and followed by Fernando, Venia and Elio. She married Pasquino (Pino) Coletti and had two children: Paolo and Daniela.

She was raised in this historic town on a hill top, at the foot of mountains, surrounded by beatiful nature and other hill top towns. She lived through the second world war and had memories of those times, but also a happy childhood after that.

Her father worked for the oil company Agip, he was an important employee and one year the whole family was treated to a company vacation to the mountain resort of Cortina D'Ampezzo, by the Dolomite Mountains.

In her early 20's her family moved to the United States of America, to join extended family that was established here.

She joined them in 1961, she had to stay behind and travel on her own to wait for her visa. This was a fateful event that changed her life. On that journey by boat, on the vessel SS Independence, to reach her family in America, she met her future husband Pasquino Coletti, a fellow traveller from Abruzzo, her same region in Italy. This was pure fate that brought them together, as one evening at the formal dining room, she was sitting with a group of other young ladies from a family she was travelling with, and the ship Captain started the dance for the evening by going to this young man, Pasquino, and directing him to dance with a young lady, and he chose her, among a table of five young women. They were specifically chosen by fate and this person, and began a lifetime of experience together.

After the trip Pasquino went to Philadelphia to join his sister's family for a while, and he travelled to Connecticut to visit with her, who had settled with her family in Derby, CT. A journey that required him to change trains at New York's Grand Central Station, without speaking a word of English. He would only be able to see her with her brothers as chaperones. They were married in 1962 in Derby, CT and then moved to Philadelphia, PA.

Then their first son was born Paolo, in October 1963, and four years later their daughter Daniela, in October 1967.

In 1972 they decided to return to Italy and begin a new life in the sea side town where Pasquino was from, Pineto (TE). They sailed back to Italy on board the Michelangelo, an historic cruise line, known for it's majestic size at the time. They raised their children in Italy, surrounded by family on both side, with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Pasquino had opened a general food store in the neighborhood, with his brother in law, and she helped there too sometimes.

Life eventually brought them back to America in 1983, back to living in Philadelphia. Here too they enjoyed life with some family on both sides, and Pasquino opened a tailor shop. Their son was a talented musician and became a respected singersongwriter, and performed globally over the years from Italy to USA, Canada, Northern Europe and South America. Their daughter was a graduate from Temple University for languages and international business and then went to work for Agusta Aerospace, an Italian helicopter manufacturer, and continues to work as International Customer Service manager for Italian manufacturers.

Paolo also became a father in 1992 to a dear boy named Paul- Daniel.

Angiolina Maria and Pino enjoyed trips to Italy in the summer to their house in Pineto, and time with family during these years, and enjoying lots of Italian food as she loved to cook.

She survied the passing of her husband in 1999 from complications of lung cancer.

She remained in Philadelphia with her son Paul and relatives for several years. While her daugher Daniela had moved to Florida in late 2002, so she would visit her every year in the winter to enjoy the Florida weather and all the sites around Miami, Naples, Key West and South Florida.

During this time her grandchild Paul-Daniel and partner Kayla had their first baby girl, Ember, and on January 2025 their second baby girl Reina. So Angiolina Maria became a great grandmother of two lovely girls.

She celebrated her 90th birthday on August 2024, after that in December that year she moved to Miami, Florida with her daughter Daniela. She enjoyed many activities in her late years, including connecting with family and loved ones on her cell, looking at her great-grand-dauther's pictures on the family album online, surfing the web for self improvement articles, making art pictures with her pastel pencils, going out to lunch at her favorite place to eat pasta, or going to dinner for pizza and tiramisu', visiting with friends, and having breakfast outside in the garden, watching the birds, flowers and nature, which she loved. In October 2025 she got to enjoy her wish to put her feet in the water on the beach, this was not easy because she couldn't walk on sand, she could only walk very short distances. On Columbus weekend she went to Naples, Fl with Daniela and enjoyed a nice long weekend there at the Gulfcoast Resort, including going to the beach and putting her feet in the healing water of the gulf, with the help of a local friend. This was a wonderful experience for her, and she played like a child, patting the water with her feet and watching the nature surrounding her. She enjoyed many joyful experiences in her time with her daughter and son in law, until her time came to join her loved ones in Heaven.

Accomplishments and last memories:

Angiolina Maria had elementary schoold education, but was fluent in Italian and English. She learned English by watching Soap Operas on TV in the 60's, and could also read in English, she read many novels and self improvement books, and also the American classic, A Farewhell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway. She also took a writing course in English and continued to practice writing to reply to texts from loved ones. She also watched many series in Spanish and learned basic conversation.

She was very savy with her cell phone, taking pictures, videos, sharing on whatsapp, reading articles on Facebook and enjoying family shares.

Her husband was a fine tailor by trade, but started as a business owner for laundry and food store in Italy, then tailor shop in US. She learned how to sow from her husband and even worked with him for several years prior to his retirement.

She loved to draw and paint, inspired by her brother Elio also, who is a professional artist. She left beatiful pictures that she made through her life and her last year.

Her life took her from a small town in Italy and then moved accross continents to the new world, where she created a new life for herself, and lived in Philadelphia and Miami. She could't believe that from that little girl that was born in Tocco Casauria, she was living out her last days in a place like Miami.

She was a very loving and self sacrificing mom and wife, she was completely dedicated to her family. We are very grateful for all the Love that she gave us and the care that was always there, in the most Unconditional and Pure Love that only a Mother can give. She also cared for her family at times of need, and always said that she missed her calling to be a Missionary, as service to others was in her heart, and it's always the most rewarding way to experience and give Love. She was Love, and she will be missed very much.

We are comforted by the thought that she lived a long, full life, with good health through her 80's and still had quality of life once she started to have symthoms from heart disease before she turned 90. With good care she was independent and well until late March, and did not suffer too long at the end. She is now rejoycing in Heaven with all her Loved Ones who crossed over, and they are celebrating and merrymaking together, joyfully. This is how we like to remember her, may she be at Peace.