While only graduating the 8th grade, she was extremely smart and talented achieving more than what her education level indicated. In her late teens and early twenties she was a Vogue model and then moved into jewelry and retail with her career culminating as an office manager for a large retail chain.
While living in Long Island, she was a member of the Sons and Daughters of Italy. In her later life, she was the “Mother Hen” of a hard-working group of knitters and crocheters known as the “Knitwits”, located at the Mandarin Senior Center – they knitted hats, donating them to homeless shelters, as well as, making blankets, vests, and capes which were provided to veterans’ groups and cancer centers in multiple states, as well as, to Afghanistan with the USO. Additionally, she taught knitting at the Library and the YMCA. She loved knitting, Crocheting, sewing, attending the Coffee Series Symphony and the Alhambra Dinner Theatre. While living in New York, she was a brownie and Girl Scout leader; loved ice skating, roller skating, and was an avid bowler belonging to multiple bowling leagues.
She was known as a Spitfire and/or Pistol as she was quick and direct. And she was most proud of “Her Girls” as she would share that she was truly blessed and had no complaints. Family meant everything to her and holidays were her favorite. She loved to bake and would make peanut brittle and cookies and deliver them to “her ladies” and friends. She was always there to support – helping with her children, grandchildren and/or great grandchildren, family and friends. Living during the depression era, she was quite cost conscious and she did her own electrical, plumbing and acted as her own contractor until her death – a demonstration of the pioneer she was as woman in that day did not do “a man’s job” – she did what she needed to get things done.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Filomena Palillo and her husband, Vito George Ferrantello.
She is survived by her brother, Alphonso Palillo; her three daughters, TJ, Vicki, and Vanessa, her husband Dennis; her three granddaughters, Amber, her husband Paul, Autumn, her husband Stephen, and Apryl; her two great granddaughters, Kyleigh and Leilani and two great grandsons, Taj and Landen; and her constant companion “V”, and her dearest, closest family and friends.
A Gathering of Family and Friends will be held from 1:00 to 2:00 pm on Sunday, May 26, 2019 at Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home of Mandarin. The Celebration of Life will take place at 2:00 pm on Sunday May 26, 2019.
Donations preferred to St Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
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