Yolanda Mangiaracina

Yolanda Mangiaracina, 90, of Largo, FL passed away on Friday, August 26, 2022. She was born on September 6, 1931. She was the last four children of Mr. and Mrs. Francesco Settegrani. They were Italian citizens living in Palermo, Sicily.

She had a typical childhood of her time from 1931 until 1940 when Italy went to war against the Allies on the side of Germany. As a result, her education was interrupted due to allied bombing and the devastated condition of the Italian country after the war.

In 1950 she was introduced to Anthony Mangiaracina who was in the United States navy. He had come ashore from the USS Salem on leave and he related that he had seen Yolanda from afar, possibly at a wedding of someone else, and he got in contact with his uncle there who contacted Yolanda’s father. They began a courtship much like the way Michael Corleone and his girlfriend in the movie The Godfather. After corresponding by mail for six months they married on June 8, 1950. They will go on to be married for 65 years.

As an agent for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, he would start in Canarsie, NY in 1954, move to Rome in 1959, and move back to the U.S in 1961. This time her family settled in Staten Island, NY. By 1965 all three Yolanda's children were going to Our Lady Star of the Sea. Then, in 1967, Anthony moved the family to Randallstown, Maryland, but then in 1970 he was transferred back to New York, NY. This time he settled the family in Mount Olive, NJ. However, due to the remoteness of the area and a desire to be closer to his job in New York, he moved the family to Kendall Park, NJ in 1972. There, the family stayed until 2003/2004.

In those years (1961-2003) Yolanda's children did well in school and their chosen vocation/career path. Then in 2003 Yolanda and Anthony started their move to Boca Raton, Fl to join up with her daughter and grandchildren, and in 2004 they completed their move with the sale of their house in Kendall Par, NJ. Yolanda, and her husband lived there peacefully until her husband died in 2015. Then in 2019 her son helped her to move to Largo, FL where she stayed until her death in 2022.

On the day before she died she was visited by her daughters and granddaughter. Her son was with her when she died around 10 pm on August 26.

After a life of dedicated love, fidelity and care for her husband, children and grandchildren may she rest in peace.