Victoria Festine Ciccone

Vicky was born in Utica, NY on August 12, 1922 to Bernard and Julia Festine. She graduated from Proctor High School in 1940 and married Vincent in February 1943. Their first years of marriage were spent in the South where the Army stationed Vincent. She returned to Utica after the Army sent Vincent to Okinawa. After the war, they lived in Utica and she worked for several years for the New York Department of Labor and later moved to New Hartford. Vicky was active in the Utica YWCA and various garden and bridge clubs. She also had great fun playing golf in a women’s golf league at Twin Ponds Golf Club in New York Mills, NY. Once her children were in school, Vicky enrolled in classes at Utica College, graduating in 1969. She also earned a Master’s degree and achieved her life-long ambition to become a teacher. She taught seventh-grade English in New Hartford, N.Y. for nine years. She had fond memories of her teacher friends and students she taught.

One freezing winter day in 1977 as she cleared the snow from her car, Vicky slipped and ended up under her car, laughing at the situation. She remembered thinking, “We need to go someplace warm.” In 1978 Vicky and Vincent moved to San Diego where her sister Eva and family had moved earlier. In San Diego, Vicky did substitute teaching and immersed herself in volunteer activities, including the YWCA, American Association of University Women and her church.

Vicky moved to Atria Senior Living La Jolla in 2016, an independent living community where she lived until her passing. The Atria gave her a second family filled with friendships and community activities.

She is survived by her daughter Sandra Wagner and her husband Steven, her son David Ciccone and his wife Karen, grandchildren Maressa Pyle and her husband Rob, Gregory Wagner and his wife Stacy, David Wagner and his wife Maria, and Michael Wagner and his wife Rebecca. Vicky also leaves five great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews and close friends in Utica and San Diego. She is preceded in death by Vincent, her husband of 70 years who passed away in 2013. She is also preceded in death by her sister Eva Rico and her brothers Armond Festine and Anthony Festine.

A committal service at El Camino Memorial Park will take place on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 10:30am. No flowers please. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to YWCA San Diego County.