the age of 110. She was the eldest citizen of Volusia County. Mary was born November
26, 1902 to Raphael and Anna (nee Piscopo) Camerlengo, of East Boston, MA. She was
predeceased by her brothers Phillip, Albert, Rico, Guy, Ernie (all of the Boston area),
Anthony (Los Angeles, CA), Michael (Punta Gorda, FL), and by her sisters, Rose
Masiello (Cave Creek, AZ), Margaret Mason (Norwood, MA), Annie Camerlengo
(Deltona) and Julia Meads (Mesa, AZ). She is survived by numerous nephews and nieces.
Mary and her sister Annie moved from West Roxbury, MA to Deltona in 1974, where
Mary lived in her home until she was 103, insisting upon doing her own gardening and
housework. At 98, Mary horrified a family member when she indicated she was going to
buy a chainsaw so she could trim her own trees. It can truly be said of Mary that she was
one of a kind, lived life on her own terms, and didn’t brook any kind of nonsense from
anybody. In her younger days, fisticuffs and a few well chosen epithets were not out of
the question for the hapless soul who foolishly riled her up. She was an accomplished,
self-taught artist, working in both oils and water colors, and gifted her family with
beautiful paintings. She was especially a master at painting the most realistic flowers.
Any surface was a potential canvas for Mary: she could turn a glass jar, tin can or
cardboard packaging into a work of art. She was the original recycler. After taking a
woodworking course when she was in her fifties, she turned her creativity to making fine
furniture, which she also exquisitely hand carved and painted. She had learned chair
caning from her father, who was a renowned furniture maker in the Boston area in the
early 1900s. Mary was also a fabulous seamstress and would often go to exclusive
Boston stores to look for a dress that struck her fancy and then go home and sew an exact
copy; she sewed entire wardrobes for her sisters. Bits and pieces of leftover fabric, lace
and old buttons became beautiful dolls for her many nieces. Mary could make something
out of nothing. No matter what creative endeavor Mary put her hand to, she always strove
for perfection. There will never be another Mary.
A Celebration of Mary’s Life is scheduled for 3PM, Wednesday, February 6, 2013,
at Hospice of Volusia Chapel, 1625 Veteran’s Memorial Parkway, Orange City, FL
(386)851-7600.
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