Obituary
Obituary of Vincenza Ingardia
Vincenza (Pecoraro) Ingardia, longtime resident of Brookfield, passed away at The Village in South Windsor, at age 92. Her mother and maternal grandmother had both lived to be 92 as well.
Vinnie was born in Manhattan on June 6, 1924, the oldest child of Luigi “Louis” Pecoraro and Marianna “Anna” Antonicelli, both Italian immigrants. She briefly lived in Tarrytown, but mostly grew up in Harlem, during the Great Depression; she learned to be tough, and fiercely protective of her younger siblings. She defied expectations for a girl in her time and place by completing high school, and even took a few dietician courses.
She met the love of her life, Joseph Ingardia, at a dance at Hunter College in 1941, and they were married in Manhattan on February 20, 1944. Joe’s work with the military kept them in Fort Worth, Texas for their first few years of marriage, but after the war, they returned home to raise their family. They lived in the Bronx, Elmont L.I., and Greenwich, Conn., and finally settled in Brookfield in 1968. She was a member of St. Joseph’s Church and a regular volunteer at the Senior Center. She and Joe lived at The Village in Brookfield; he passed away in 2013, and she moved to the South Windsor location this past summer.
Vinnie never stopped acting like the toughest kid on the block, and she never forgot the difficulty of growing up under harsh circumstances. She was a devoted care-giver not just to her siblings, husband, and three children, but to her many nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and friends, particularly her nephew Dennis and neighbor Vivien. She was always generous with her time, affection, cooking, or whatever a loved one needed in hard times. She cared for her beloved sister “Red” through her battle with cancer, after which she was a frequent volunteer for American Cancer Society fundraisers. She had a big heart and a self-described “big mouth,” which often got her into trouble, but she mostly used her fiery personality for good: To share laughs, tell stories, and turn any stranger into a friend. Tales of her outrageousness, as well as her kindness, will be told for generations to come.
She is survived by her three children and their spouses: Jane and Larry Walker, Michael P. Ingardia, and Susan and Bill Gabriele; six grandchildren and their spouses: David Walker, Cindy Macdonald, Michael A. and Vanessa Ingardia, Eva and Keven Bartush, Julie Gabriele and Bill Haydasz, and Joanna and Matthew Burnham; eight great-grandchildren: Samantha, Quint, Autumn, and Michael Bartush, Meredith Macdonald, Josephine and Dillinger Ingardia, and Gabriel Burnham (plus soon-to-be-born Abigail Burnham); her youngest brother Frank Pecoraro; a large extended family, and many friends. In addition to her parents and husband, she was pre-deceased by her daughter-in-law, Minnie Ingardia; brothers Domenic, Anthony, and baby Frankie Pecoraro; and sisters Agatha Donato, Joanne Testoff, and Marylou Langer.
The family will receive friends at the Brookfield Funeral Home 786 Federal Road Brookfield on Tuesday November 29th from 5 thru 7 pm. Vinnie will be buried next to Joe in Laurel Hill Cemetery,Brookfield in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Saint Jude Hospital or the American Cancer Society would be appreciated.
To light a candle of hope and remembrance, please visit www.BrookfieldFuneralHome.com.
Tuesday
29
November
Funeral Service
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Brookfield Funeral Home
786 Federal Road
Brookfield, Connecticut, United States
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Wednesday
30
November
Interment at: Laurel Hill Cemetery
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Laurel Hill Cemetery
Fairfield, Connecticut, United States
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