Obituary of Louise Pierno

Louise Marie Pierno was born on December 17, 1913 in New York City to immigrant parents from Italy. Her father, Pellegrino DeFeo, was a modest entrepreneur who owned a bar and grill in Harlem, NY and who built three homes for himself and his children on Conner Street in the North Bronx very near to the Pelham Manor border. Louise's mother, Maria Fabozzi, was a homemeaker, and she passed on her exemplary Italian cooking and baking skills to her daughter. Louise was the eldest of siblings William (Billy), Carmela (Millie), Sarah, Anna, and Louis (Louie). Louise's highest level of education was the sixth grade, at which time she left school to help her mother with her growing family at home. Her father raised chickens and pigs, while her mother salted meats, jarred sauces, and made pasta, as well as breads and Italian Easter cakes in the backyard's outdoor oven. At age 19, Louise married Saverio (Sam) Calcagni on June 26, 1932, and two children were born (Eugene on 4/14/33, and Marie on 5/28/34). Louise and Sam instilled a sense of family values in their children that transcended the norm and kept Eugene and Marie extremely close and absent of any sibling rivalries their entire lives. Photos of brother and sister taken by Louise are abundant, and picture them posing, playing, going to the beach with a picnic lunch in a very bygone, more innocent era during the Great Depression leading into World War Two. During the war years, Louise was a "Rosie the Riveter" of sorts, working at Cullo's in the Bronx, a munitions factory which made bomb casings as part of the war effort, while her brother Louie served in the U.S. Air Force in Labrador. She was injured on the job when a heavy piece of metal fell on her leg resulting in a chipped bone. At a time when divorce was a great exception to the rule, Louise & Sam separated in 1943, finally parting ways at the close of the war in 1945, but each remarrying soon after. Louise married Frank Pierno on 12/23/47 and gave birth to daughter Rosa in 1949. Louise lived modestly all of her life but always found fun in outdoor activities, including barbecues, picnics, the beach, and planting flowers. Louise, Billy, Anna and Louie all lived in close proximity to their parents through their marriages and adult years, and along with Millie, Sarah, sons-in-law, nieces, nephews (as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins from Staten Island), parties and get-togethers (including Sunday pasta dinners) were inviting, large and fun-filled. Louise was perhaps as good a grandmother as she was a mother, always baby-sitting, cooking, playing with & transporting many of her grandchildren, and hosting countless Christmas Eves with thirteen kinds of fish for dinner followed by her specialty cold-cut pie at Midnight, as well as Easter Sundays. What may have trumped all is the fact that so many of the aides who cared for Louise at Providence Rest nursing home in the Country Club section of the Bronx where she resided from age 91-100 said repeatedly "What a beautiful lady, inside and out," and "So refined and lady-like," and "Lulu never gives any trouble...always please and thank you and blowing kisses all the time." Despite the fact that within her immediate family Louise saw three siblings, two husbands, and two children die before her, she persevered gracefully, accepting it as God's will, her faith as a Catholic never waivering, which may have been the best inspiration she gave to any of her family. Although bound to a wheelchair the last ten years of her life due to arthritis and spinal stinosis, and suffering an almost complete loss of hearing, her mind was intact even at her death at 100 years of age, acknowledging her visiting family members the instant she saw them, never forgetting a face, and always offering up an array of repeated kisses. Louise expired peacefully at 11:45pm on 3/7/14 in bed in her room. She saw family members several days before as well as on her last day, and she was alert as the Sisters of St. John the Baptist prayed over her in the late-afternoon. Louise is survived by her sister Sarah Zottoli, 97 (also of Providence Rest, Bronx, NY); Louis DeFeo, 90, and his wife Jeanette (of Elmsford, NY); loving and devoted daughter Marie Sforza, 79 (of New Rochelle, NY), who continued her mother's beloved family traditions for decades; 13 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great-grandchildren; 6 nieces and nephews, and several cousins, including Sadie "May" Martins (of Alexandria, VA), always near and dear to her heart. She will be sorely missed by her family members, who have abundant memories of her gracious love. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to Providence Rest Home for the Aged, 3304 Waterbury Avenue, Bronx NY, 10465.