Anna Armato Ferrara, age 95, passed peacefully in her sleep Monday, March 18th, 2019 at her family home in Metairie, Louisiana where she had been a resident for 52 years. She was born in New Orleans on February 2nd, 1924 to Benedetto and Pauline Armato and would reside there until 1967.
Anna grew up and went to school in the River Bend area of New Orleans. She and her friends loved to hang out on Oak Street, finding any place that had a jukebox and would allow them to dance. Dancing was her absolute favorite thing to do when she was growing up. At around the age of thirteen, she unknowingly wandered into the shop of her future father-in-law (The Oak Street Electric Shoe Hospital) to get her roller skate fixed. She was greeted by the man who would be her loving husband, Anthony J. Ferrara. Being that it was the time of the depression, he was pulled out of school at an early age to work in the shop. He was not a dancer, he was a worker. But from the moment he saw her, he knew he would chase her around until she agreed to marry him. They were wed on April 8th, 1945. She worked at Woolworth’s and then at Travelers Insurance until her and her husband opened their first, of what would be many, laundromats. They worked side-by-side to make them successful.
She took on the title of ‘Gram’ when she first became a grandmother. Family, friends and new acquaintances would all refer to her as such. She lived her life in a large Italian family, having many friends and enjoying life for 95 years. Gram and her husband were the loves of each other’s lives. Even after her husband’s passing in 2012, she would refer to their anniversaries in the present tense. All who knew her loved and respected her. She was a wonderful, caring, loving and extraordinarily unique individual who was always a beacon of light for love, laughter and hope. She will be missed for a very long time by very many people.
Anna was preceded in death by her parents, Benedetto and Pauline Armato. She is also preceded in death by her husband, Anthony J. Ferrara, her two children, Frank A. Ferrara and Paula Ferrara Blackwell (Peter) as well as two brothers-in-law, Salvatore Ferrara (Yvonne) and Richard Ferrara (Betty). She is survived by four grandchildren: Benjamin J. Blackwell (Emma), Kevin Blackwell, Pamela Ferrara and Nichole Schweickert (Matthew).
Other survivors include her son-in-law, Peter H. Blackwell, who was her primary caretaker for the last three years. She never missed an opportunity to say how wonderful of a man he is and how incredibly grateful she was for his dedication. Also, her sister-in-law Yvonne Ferrara, her nephew Richard J. Ferrara Jr. and many cousins and dear friends. Last, but certainly not least, her little chihuahua Jellybean who she loved so very much.
Services will be at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home on Saturday, March 23rd. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m. followed by a Catholic mass and then a burial site blessing.
