Maria D. Difonzo

It is with great sadness that the family announces the passing of a wonderful woman who truly valued life & family. Maria Di Fonzo (nee Caporiccio) passed away peacefully on December 16th 2020 at the age of 98.

Maria was born outside of the small town of Campodimele in the hills of central Italy. It was here where she met the love of her life Luigi (Louie) Di Fonzo. Post-war Italy proved to be very challenging. In 1956, in search of a better life, she followed her husband in chasing the American Dream by immigrating initially to Eatonville, Washington and then eventually Trenton, Michigan. Together they built a wonderful life surrounded by friends and family. Once retired, they followed their dream to live in the sun and relocated in Englewood, Florida. Loving the Floridian life, they made numerous friends and enjoyed everything that the Sunshine State had to offer. They loved having visitors, and their door was always open to friends and family from near and far. With Louie’s passing in 1992, Maria’s strength and determination rebuilt her life with travel, dinner parties with friends and her daily 4 mile walk. From her base at the Lemon Bay clubhouse she would travel the world with the Red Hats. Despite long distances, Maria held her family close. Maria is now reunited with Louie, her parents Angelo and Concetta Caporiccio, her brothers Attilio and Franceso and her sisters Elena and Mafalda. Maria is survived by her brothers Antonio and Amedeo. Zia Maria will be fondly remembered by family members in Toronto, Detroit and Washington State.

Heartfelt thanks go to Pauline, Keicia and the caring staff at the Northport Pines Assisted Living and The House of Grace.

In celebration of Maria’s life, a funeral mass will be held on Wednesday December 23rd 2020 at The Lemon Bay Funeral Home (Englewood, Florida). (Visitation: 10 am ET, Mass: 11 am ET) followed by burial at Gulf Pines Memorial Park. For those unable to attend in person, the mass will be streamed through Facebook Live (link: kays-ponger.com)