Phyllis L. Marinelli

Phyllis L. Marinelli “PizzaMama” (nee Scardicchio), age 94, passed away on September 27, 2026. Beloved wife of the late Joseph for 71 years; devoted mother of Joseph (Rene), Anthony (Barbara), John (Vicki) and Michael (Danielle); cherished grandmother of Madeline Smith (nee Marinelli, Phil), Nicholas, Bianca, Alex, Ciara and John; dear sister of the late Nancy Sacco (Angelo) and late Josephine Carlson (Gordon); along with countless family and friends.

Call her what you will …

Philomena L. Scardicchio …

Phyllis L. Marinelli …

Mom Marinelli …

Grandma Phyllis … Nonni…

Or, to many who knew and loved her, simply “Pizza Mama.”

Whatever you called her, one thing was certain: Phyllis was unforgettable.

Philomena L. Scardicchio was born on July 2, 1932, at Marymount Hospital in Garfield Heights, Ohio, to Grace and John Scardicchio, immigrants from Capurso and Avezzano, Italy. She attended Cranwood Elementary School in Garfield Heights and graduated from Lincoln High School in Cleveland.

Even as a young woman, Phyllis had a personality that was hard to miss. At Lincoln High, she sang in the choir, served on the Social Committee, and was voted “Conversationalist” on the school’s Personality List. She was also described as having “boundless enthusiasm.”

Is anyone surprised by any of this?

As a young adult, Phyllis lived on Fulton Road in Cleveland and began her working life at Reliable Springs and Wire Company. On August 20, 1955, she married Joseph F. Marinelli, beginning a partnership that would last for more than 70 years. The newlyweds made their home on West 93rd Street in Cleveland.

Phyllis went on to work in jewelry sales at S.S. Kresge’s Dime Stores, first near the West Side Market and later at the store at East 4th Street and Euclid Avenue. She subsequently worked in the headquarters office of Sherwin Williams and at Edgewood Realty on Clark Avenue, near West Tech High School.

But her most important job was still ahead.

Over the next eight years, Phyllis and Joe welcomed four sons: Joseph, born in July 1959; Anthony, born in May 1963; and twins, John and Michael, born in July 1966. In 1968, the family moved to their home on Meadowbrook Boulevard in Brunswick, Ohio, where Phyllis lived for the rest of her life.

As her family grew, so did her commitment to her community. Phyllis worked for the Brunswick City School System, first as an educational aide at Towslee Elementary School for five years and then at Huntington Elementary School for the next 25 years, where she eventually retired.

A longtime parishioner of St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Brunswick, Phyllis was active in the Women’s Guild and especially enjoyed making nut rolls with the ladies during the Easter season. Her faith and her friendships at St. Ambrose became an important part of her life.

Phyllis was also a lifelong Cleveland sports fan. She loved the Browns, especially Jim Brown and Bernie Kosar, and followed the Indians, with fondness for Lou Boudreau and Jim Hegan. She even had the opportunity to attend a World Series game in 1954 between the Cleveland Indians and the New York Giants.

But perhaps the best way to remember Phyllis is through the things she made—and the people she brought together around them. Folks enjoyed teasing her about not being able to talk without constantly waving her hands. You could hold her hands down and she would not be able to continue a conversation which would always make Dad laugh.

Known as “Pizza Mama” to family, friends, and her many Facebook followers, she became famous for her very special style of homemade sheet pizza. Her family especially loved her spaghetti sauce, which often meant a Sunday afternoon dinner around the table, and her legendary multi-layer “pudding cake.”

She loved decorating her kitchen with lemons—lemons, lemons, and more lemons—and she loved sitting on her front deck, chatting with neighbors as they walked by. She had a gift for making ordinary moments feel important simply because she was there.

And people noticed.

Phyllis became something of a pre- and post- Mass celebrity at the noon Mass at St. Ambrose. Friends, neighbors and fellow parishioners often made a point of stopping to say hello, give her a hug and steal a kiss. She was loved not only by her family, but by a remarkably large circle of friends who considered her part of their own lives.

Phyllis passed away peacefully leaving behind a lifetime of memories, laughter, recipes, conversations, hugs—and a whole lot of pizza.

She was a woman who loved her family fiercely, made friends easily, enjoyed a good conversation, kept you updated on the weather, never seemed to run short of enthusiasm, and found plenty of reasons to enjoy life.

And now, as she would so often say, she is “so far, so good.” She has gone to join her beloved husband, Joe, her parents, and her sisters in heaven. And knowing Phyllis, she has probably already found the kitchen, put out the lemons, started making the pizza—and is busy talking to everyone.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Ambrose Catholic Parish, 929 Pearl Rd, Brunswick, Ohio 44212, US, or at stambrose.us/donate/

The family will receive family and friends 4-7 PM MONDAY OCTOBER 12th at the A. RIPEPI AND SONS’ FUNERAL HOME, 18149 Bagley Rd., Middleburg Hts. (West of I-71)

A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 am Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at St. Ambrose Church, 929 Pearl Rd., Brunswick. EVERYONE PLEASE MEET AT THE CHURCH.

Internment 11:15 am Friday October 16th at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, 10175 Rawiga Rd, Seville, OH 44273. PLEASE MEET INSIDE CEMETERY ENTRANCE