Pietra Tarantino Busalacchi

Pietra Tarantino Busalacchi was born in the village of Sant’Elia (Palermo, Sicily, Italy). She was the daughter of Giuseppe Tarantino and Antonina Camarda. She married Giovanni Busalacchi in 1954 in Sant’Elia. She immigrated to San Diego, California, in 1955, where she and her family lived for the remainder of her life.

Pietra’s name means "rock," and her fortitude was a testament to her name's meaning. Her faith and her family were her passions. She was especially devoted to the veneration of la Madonna Addolorata, Santa Rita and Santo Pio. She was a parishioner at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Little Italy San Diego, where she was actively involved in numerous parish societies, especially la Società Maria S.S. Addolorata. She was a loving daughter, sister, wife, aunt, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She lived for her family, especially enjoying all of the Sunday dinners in San Diego that she cooked with love and returning to Sicily to visit her parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews. As a world traveler throughout her life, she journeyed throughout Italy and the United States to visit her family and the churches of many the saints to which she was devoted. Her love of shopping, playing cards, and watching Italian soccer was unparalleled.

She was preceded in death by her father Giuseppe, mother Antonina, sister Rosa, and brother Francesco. She is survived by her loving and devoted husband of over 68 years Giovanni; sisters Caterina and Providenza; brother Pietro; children Giovanna (Lee), Michael (Erin), and Antoinette (Nicholas); grandchildren Patricia (Trevor), Daniel (Kristin), John (Nicole), Antonina, and Giovanni; great-grandchildren Antoinette, Michael, Gianna, and Kathryn; and many nieces and nephews.

Memories of her will comfort her family and friends, and her legacy will live through them. She will be missed.

The rosary and funeral mass for Pietra will take place on Saturday, January 14, 2023, at 8:30 in the morning at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in San Diego, California. Interment will immediately follow at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery.

Please consider making a donation in the name of Pietra Busalacchi to one of her preferred charities:

--Check payable to Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church (Memo: Addolorata Society) mailed to Our Lady of the Rosary, 1629 Columbia Street, San Diego, CA, 92101;

--Online donation to Monastero Santa Rita da Cascia (https://santaritadacascia.org/en/);

--Online donation to the effort to build a hospital in the United States duplicating Santo Pio’s Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (https://www.chi-usa.com/).

Pietra, Mamma, Nanna… ti vogliamo bene. Dio ti benedica.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.merkleymitchell.com for the Busalacchi family.