Angelina Pezzorello

Loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, Angie passed away peacefully at home with family on January 27, 2014 at the age of 93. She was a typical little Italian lady (4’ 11” and 110 pounds) who loved everyone she met.

On July 31, 1920, she was born in Herkimer, NY to Pio and Giovina (Vallese) Celio who had emigrated from Italy. She married Vincent (Vince) A. Pezzorello of Utica, NY on June 22, 1946. They resided in Utica until 1957.

Vince and Pio both worked for the New York Central Railroad. Each winter, Vince, Angie and sons would travel to Phoenix by train (a 3 day trip each way) to visit her sister Margaret and her husband Lou. One cold, wintery day in Utica in 1957, Vince declared he’d had enough of Utica weather; and they would be moving to Phoenix come June.

The family first resided on 6th Drive and Indian School Road, until they bought their first house in 1958. It was a new Hoffman home on the outskirts of Phoenix at 2325 N. 40th Ave. for $8000.

The Pezzorellos were long time members of St. Vincent de Paul’s Catholic Church. When Vince passed away on August 5, 1981, his services were held there. From that day forward, Angie traveled all over the valley to attend mass at other catholic churches as well as her own parish church. Since 1994 when she moved to Chandler, she attended St. Mary’s. No matter which church she attended on any given day, she put two dollars in the collection plate and lit a candle.

She was also devoted to the various casinos in town where she contributed more than the two dollars per visit! There were many memorable trips to Vegas with friends and family. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

Angie was the last survivor of eight siblings. She is preceded in death by:

- Parents Pio and Giovina

- Husband Vince

- Brothers Albert, Thomas and Guido; her brother and sister-in-law Orlando and Blythe

- Sisters and brothers-in-law Margaret and Lou D’Ambrosio, Adeline and Joe Natarelli and Edith and Carl Milano.

- Pezzorello family members: Francesco and Anna Marie (Vince’s immigrant parents), Rose, Angela, Frank, Gerard, Anthony, Theresa and Angelo Schiro, Elena Carcone and Pasquale Fiorile

- Best friends: Dominick and Filomena Arcuri, Nick and Lillian Cimino, Dick and Pat Carlo and Vince and Jane Fiore.

She is survived by:

- Sons: Frank and his wife Toni of Sun Lakes, AZ and Vincent G. and his wife Lillian of Las Vegas, NV

- Grandchildren: Frank Jr. (Jessica) of Chandler, Dominick (Rhonda) of Charleston, SC and Giovina of Chandler.

- Great-grandchildren: Tiffanie, Taylor, A. J., Madden, Owen and Griffen

- Sisters-in-law Mrs. Albert (Louise) Celio of Herkimer, NY, Mrs. Thomas (Mary) Celio of Little Falls, NY and Mrs. Pasquale (Anna) Fiorile of Utica, NY

- Numerous nephews and nieces.

There is a funny story about Angie’s birth date. For her entire life, she and her family celebrated her birthday on August 1. When she became ill and was on Medicare, her claims were continually rejected. After we researched her personal records, we found, to our surprise, that her original birth certificate listed her birth date as July 31, 1920.

Services will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 230 West Galveston St, Chandler AZ 85225 on Tuesday, February 4. Rosary will be at 9:30 AM to be followed by a funeral mass at 10 AM. She will be laid to rest next to her husband at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery in Phoenix in a private ceremony.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Angie’s name to St. Vincent de Paul Society c/o St. Mary’s Church or Hospice of the Valley, 2020 East Woodside Court, Gilbert, AZ 85297.

The family would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Hospice of the Valley for their loving and compassionate care of Angie during the last year of her illness. Special thanks to Christine, Keyana, Sean, Natalie and Drurygene. Also many thanks to Father Dan and the St. Mary’s staff for their assistance.