Marie Piscitelli

- -- Paul the Apostle to his protégé, Timothy.

Maria Piscitelli (nee DiGianni), known as Mary to her husband, Nonna to her grandkids and Marie to most everyone else, passed away September 19, 2025, in her adopted home of Westchester County, NY.

Marie opened her arms to the world and embraced the people around her, be they family friends or neighbors. She had a sprawling web of close relationships, stretching from Brooklyn to Florida to Canada to Westchester. She was loved by many, and all who knew her feel a deep sense of loss today.

The daughter of immigrant parents from Naples, Italy, Marie was born in Trenton, NJ and grew up in Brooklyn, NY. She had close relationships with her older brother Anthony, and her younger sister, Angela. Marie found out later in life that she had an older sibling who died in early childhood. Growing up amid the Great Depression, things were not easy for the DiGianni family, but they persevered and made a life for themselves in their adopted country.

Marie excelled in school, especially math, and sometimes bragged that she was “the smartest person in my family.” Her grades would have gotten her into a college of her choice, and she dreamed of becoming a nurse, but the mores of that era prevailed, and her mother talked her out of studying nursing, saying “You want to clean bedpans for the rest of your life?”

After graduating New Utrecht High School, Marie worked at Metropolitan Life Insurance in New York, and attended classes in the evenings at Hunter College. She enjoyed her grown-up lifestyle, newfound freedom, and hanging out after work with the young women of the office.

In 1951, Marie married Ralph Piscitelli, a dashing young man from the neighborhood, who’d returned from service in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Three sons followed in quick succession. And a fourth son was born some time later.

Marie devoted herself entirely to her family. Helping the boys with homework, taking them on buses to doctors’ appointments, cheering them on at hockey and little league baseball games and applauding at music recitals. Their life in Brooklyn in the 1970s wasn’t a Normal Rockwell painting; for evidence, please see “the French Connection” and “Saturday Night Fever,” both filmed in the family’s Bensonhurst neighborhood.

Marie and Ralph enjoyed attending performances with friends at the Metropolitan Opera, where they had a subscription for decades. But it was the simple things that made Marie the happiest: reveling in the accomplishments of her grandchildren; cooking pasta in the kitchen with a daughter-in-law; and catching up on celebrity gossip with a friend. She enjoyed a special relationship with each of her grandkids; just ask them.

Marie and Ralph were proud of their Italian roots and tried to impress upon their children and grandchildren the richness of this heritage. It was evident by the food served at the family “tavola” and in the arias playing over the “hi-fi” speakers.

After Ralph’s retirement from the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the couple moved to Palm Coast, FL., and embarked on a productive chapter of their life. It was a hardship for Marie to move away from her family and community, but she threw herself into her new life, forging new friendships, becoming active in the parish, and enjoying sunny days at the beach. Marie and Ralph stretched their singing and acting talents, performing in the church’s annual musicale fundraiser. Marie hosted her family often in Florida, BBQing sausages in the backyard, pushing grandchildren on swings at the park and riding all the rides at Disneyworld.

As Ralph’s health deteriorated in his mid-90s, Marie became his round-the-clock caregiver, rolling up her sleeves and tending to his needs without complaint. Ironically, she became the nurse she intended to be as a young girl. Ralph passed away on June 1, 2023, bringing to a close their 70+-year love story.

At her advanced age, many people would have lost heart and coasted to the end. Instead, Marie sprinted through the finishing line, moving to Ardsley, NY, in close proximity to loved ones. She dove into her new lifestyle at her independent living community, and her busy days were filled with arts and crafts, choir practice and chatting with newfound friends around the fireplace in the library. Marie enjoyed dining at Westchester’s finest restaurants, holiday dinners gathered with family, and playing with her great-grandchildren. Marie was in her glory this summer when she had the chance to attend the christening of her fourth great-grandchild, and take in lunch with the entire family afterwards.

Marie was a deeply faithful Catholic who lived her faith every day. She put everyone’s needs before her own, had a kind and gentle spirit, and always did the right thing, despite the actions of others. Marie was a hands-on, affectionate mother, and a deeply devoted wife. She taught her family great lessons with her actions, rather than words.

Marie is survived by her sister Angela, four sons, Ralph (Carol), Nicholas (Fay), Joseph (Dominique Soucy) and Paul (Helga Cepeda), seven grandchildren, Gabrielle, Erica (Stephen Klingner), Elizabeth (Jack Marczak), Pierre (Daphna Schmidt), Stefano, Annalisa

and Julianna, and four great-grandchildren, Ari Klingner, Olivia Klingner, Henry Marczak and Claire Marczak. In addition to her husband, Ralph, Marie’s brother, Anthony, also predeceased her. She will now join them both in Calverton National Cemetery.

The family would like to thank the staff and community of Atria Woodlands, and the kind and compassionate caregivers who gave her comfort in these last months.

Flowers may be sent to the Edwin L. Bennett Funeral Home. Contributions: See below links.