Anna Marie Crapitto

Anna Marie Badalamenti Crapitto “MawMaw”, 97, beloved wife of Samuel Joseph Crapitto, mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother, went peacefully home to be with Our Heavenly Father and her loved ones who have gone before her on Wednesday, July 13, 2011, surrounded by her loving family. She was often asked what her secret was for a long, happy and healthy life and she would always respond with her big, beautiful smile with these words of wisdom: “put the Lord first, pray and stay busy and be joyful.” She was a very devout Catholic and grew up attending Annunciation Church and Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral and then became a long time member of St. Anne Catholic Church where she and Sammy raised their family and where she served as a Eucharistic Minister. She joined St. Michael Catholic Church 25 years ago when she became a widow and went to live with one of her daughters. Her strong faith and her devotion to the Lord, as well as her deep love for the Blessed Mother, gave her unwavering strength and support throughout her life. She devoted her entire life to Sammy, her 3 daughters and their families and always stayed busy with her 11 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 42 years, Samuel Joseph Crapitto, in 1980; her sister, Lucille Badalamenti Leach, and her loving parents, Anna Lazio and Frank Badalamenti.

“MawMaw” is survived by her three daughters who devoted their life to caring for her the past 31 years: Jo Ann Crapitto Tramuto and husband, Jim; Marie Crapitto Pouns and husband, Jim; and Louise Crapitto McConn and husband, Gary. She was richly blessed with 11 grandchildren: Catherine Tramuto, James Tramuto and wife Emma, Laura Tramuto Goodrum and husband, John, Emily Tramuto; Ann-Marie Pouns, Bailey Pouns and Sam Pouns; Michael McConn and wife Kelly, Michelle McConn Renfro and husband, John, Melissa McConn Susong and husband, Ricci, and Molly McConn. MawMaw was further blessed with 4 great-grandchildren who brought her so much joy: Annie McConn, Catherine McConn, Molly Scott Susong, and Ella Rose Tramuto. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, many great nieces, nephews and cousins, all of whom loved her dearly.

Anna, a native Houstonian, was born on May 25, 1914, and was the eldest of two daughters born to Anna Lazzio, also a native of Houston born in 1890, and Frank Badalamenti. She attended the Abbitt School and was a graduate of San Jacinto High School and Massy Business College, after which she worked for Humble Oil Company. At the age of 23, she met and married the love of her life, Samuel Joseph Crapitto, and they were blessed with 3 daughters. She was an integral part in all of her daughter’s families and all of her grandchildren and great grand-children’s lives, selflessly giving her time, her unconditional love and her never-ending energy to each of them. She was an example of Christian love, compassion and faith and became an inspiration and guiding force in each of their lives. Her family was truly her world. She loved traveling with her daughters and their families and was included in many of their family vacations. She also made it a point to be a part of her grandchildren’s everyday lives by attending all of their many events from sports to school to camp to graduations to moving each one of them into their college dorms.

MawMaw was known, admired and loved not only by all of her daughter’s many friends but also by all of her grandchildren’s friends. She exuded the love and the joy of the Lord through her generous and kind heart. She dearly loved taking her grandchildren and their friends out to eat and was known by the owners of her favorite restaurants as “MawMaw” always wearing her “big red/white glasses.” There was always a table waiting for her and her family at the restaurants that she dearly loved, from her nephew’s restaurants, Crapitto’s and Frank’s Chop House, to Carrabba’s, Pizzitola’s BBQ, Rudi Lechner’s, Ragin Cajun, Sullivan’s, Pappas, Southwells, Antonio’s Flying Pizza, Fu’s Garden, and to her familiar spot where she went as a teen, James Coney Island. One of her most favorite activities with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren was to go to ride the train at the zoo and have a picnic. She was the happiest when spending time with them, whether it was at the family farm when they were growing up, enjoying a home-cooked Italian dinner, taking everyone out to eat or being pampered weekly by the sweet ladies at I-Nails and then having lunch at Smoothie Island. She loved creating family memories and she particularly loved being with little children and babies.

MawMaw’s spirit lives on in all of the lives she touched and enriched over her 97 years here on earth. In a recent prayer written for her by a dear friend, she is described with these words: “MawMaw has and will until her last breath impact those of us whose path she has crossed with her spirit of kindness, her interest in the lives of others, her vitality, her perseverance, her tenacity, her love for life and family, and her strength and attitude of gratefulness to the Lord for the way He has directed and blessed her.” She dearly loved the Lord and took the challenge this past year of reading the Bible in 90 days and almost finished it until she was set back by a fall in March. She became a member of Community Bible Study 2 years ago after she visited her daughter in DC when she attended the Bethesda class in Maryland. She then continued to go each week in Houston with her daughter, sitting in the front row listening to God’s Word and blessing everyone with her presence. She was so very grateful to the many prayers that have been lifted up for her not only by her family but also by her Church community, CBS leadership, and everyone who has known and loved her over the years. “Surely, God is her help; He is the one who sustained her.” The choirs of angels came to greet her at the appointed time and she “entered His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” (Psalm 100:4) Today, we give thanks to the Lord for the blessing of her long and full life, knowing and believing that “He is good and His love endures forever; and His faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100:5) and that we will join her one day in Heaven for eternity.

The family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks for all of the love and support given by our dear friends through their prayers and special visits; to Dr. Chris Nevins for his continual care and attentiveness; for the kindness and compassion given to her by Angelica and Maritza; and to Lisa, Vera and Jewel for their loving and tender care for her these last 4 months. We would also like to thank Autumn Care Hospice and the care given to her by Joanne and Wendy.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from half-past two until five o’clock in the afternoon on Sunday, the 17th of July, at St. Michael Catholic Church, 1801 Sage Road in Houston, where the recitation of the Holy Rosary is to commence at four o’clock.

A Mass of Christian Burial, to celebrate MawMaw’s life, is to be offered at ten o’clock in the morning on Monday, the 18th of July, also at St. Michael Catholic Church, with the Reverend Monsignor Frank H. Rossi, S.T.L., celebrant, and the Reverend Salvatore Francis DeGeorge, O.M.I., Anna’s cousin, concelebrant.

Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the adjacent Parish Life Center.

Afterwards, the family is to gather for a private Rite of Committal in the Garden of Gethsemani at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery officiated by seminarian, Clark Sample, a nephew to one of Anna’s daughters.

Honored to serve as pallbearers during Monday’s services are Jim Tramuto, Jim Pouns, Gary McConn, Michael McConn, James Tramuto, Bailey Pouns, Sam Pouns, John Goodrum, Ricci Susong, John Renfro and Anthony Romano.

For those desiring, and in lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions in Anna’s name may be directed to the American Cancer Society, 6301 Richmond Ave., Houston, TX, 77057; to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 2425 Fountain View Dr., No. 280, Houston, TX, 77057; or to the Texas Children’s Hospital Foundation, Office of Development, No. 5214, P.O. Box 300630, Houston, TX, 77230.

“MawMaw will be deeply missed by her loving family and all who knew and loved her, but her spirit lives on in each of us.”