Josette D' Agostini

Good morning. My name is Valentina D’Agostini, and I am the granddaughter of Josette D’Agostini. I want to start by saying thank you for being here to remember her with us. Our family is so immensely grateful for the love, prayers, and support that you all have surrounded us with, and I know my grandmother would have been deeply touched to see so many of the people she cared for gathered here. There are not enough words for any of us to express how appreciative we are to have found such great help in my grandmother’s caregivers, who in this time have become our family too.

If you knew my grandmother Josette, you knew she was kind, patient, and deeply loving. She was born in 1938, grew up in Toulon, France, and eventually made her way to Vista, California, where she built a beautiful life centered around her family and friends. For my grandmother, love was often shown most deeply through her actions, although she was never short on compliments. Whenever any of us visited, the first thing she would say was how beautiful we looked, even and especially when it wasn’t true. Whether she was cooking, baking, sewing, or babysitting children who came to call her “Grandma Josette,” she had a way of taking care of people before they even knew they needed it. From her, we learned the importance of showing up for others, even if that meant showing up an hour earlier than necessary. She was perfectly punctual and never once would show up empty-handed.

She was an incredible seamstress, always ready to help me start a new project or find the perfect fabric. Sewing, in fact, became one of the many things we bonded over, and the memories of sitting together at her old machine are ones I will always treasure. But she also had an adventurous side. She came to the United States from France at only 20 years old and built a whole new life here. She traveled with my grandfather, returned to France after his passing often, went to Las Vegas and took cruises with her sister-in-law Aurelia, and never really stopped thinking about where she might go next. Even later in life, she would talk about returning to France with me or visiting Italy again.

She loved game shows, cooking and baking (especially her famous almond cookies and easter bread), family gatherings with her sisters-in-law and their families, knitting, sewing, puzzles, and music. Family members would burn CDs for her, and she kept them in hercar for years. She held onto the things -both big and small- that people gave her with great affection. Dementia changed many things in the later years of her life, but it did not erase the life she lived or the love she gave. Even as her illness progressed, that instinct to care for her family was still there. When I think of my grandmother, I think about everything she passed down: a love of family, food, making things with your hands even when it is probably easier to buy them, travel, and caring for the people around you.

To my dad and my zizi, meme was so incredibly proud of you both. She was a woman who would truly light up whenever she spoke of her children, and she loved you two with a devotion that never wavered, always thinking of your happiness. Even in her final days, you were always on her mind, the way she will now always watch over us in spirit. To my Tata Lili, my grandmother’s sister, the two of you were rarely apart, having had a lifetime together. I know you meant a great deal to her and we are lucky to have you and your family with us as a reminder of that special bond. To my great aunts, her sisters-in-law, and my grandmother’s closest friends, who have been by our side throughout our lives, we have been extremely lucky to have your guidance and encouragement in good times and tough ones.

She equally cherished her extended family, always looking forward to spending time with my mom, Veronica, on her many visits, or my Zio Tony and his children, whom she was delighted to get to see the next generation grow through. I will miss her deeply, as we all will. But so much of her is still here, in her family, in the traditions we carry forward, and in all of you here today. I am grateful that I got to call her my grandmother, and even more grateful I got to call her my best friend too. Thank you, Meme, for everything. We will carry you with us forever. We love you, and we’ll miss you always.