Alice (Bertonassi) Phillipo, 96, of Fayville, MA, died peacefully on Monday, September 8, 2014 at Beaumont Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Westborough, MA.
Born in Marlborough, the daughter of the late Massimo and Albina (Berni) Bertonassi, she had been the wife of the late Elmer Phillipo, who died in 1995.
Alice spent her life in service to her family and the community. Her strong work ethic originated at an early age. In the 6th grade, she left school and began to care for her siblings when her mother was injured and incapacitated for many months. She continued to care for her family until marrying and starting a family of her own. She had worked as a hostess and waitress at the Framingham Country Club as well as Lower Village House, Stow, MA.
Reaching the age of 60, when most people are ready to retire, she began working for the Southborough Senior Meals program. As an avid baker, in addition to feeding her family, friends, neighbors and office staff she often baked goodies to add to the seniors meals. Everyone knew, if you came to visit Alice, you were going to eat before you left… She retired from the Senior Center in 1997 at the age of 80. In 2006 she was honored to be named the Southborough Senior citizen of the year, for her many years of service to her community. She will be greatly missed by her family and community.
She is survived by her son, Ronald Phillipo and his wife Ellie of Marlborough, her daughters, Anne Huff and her husband Kenneth of Southborough, June Phillipo and Elyse Phillipo both of Fayville, and Bena Phillipo and her husband Peter Kahn of Southborough, 10 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren, her sisters, Dorothy Angelico and Sylvia Moro both of Westborough, Margaret Bariolo and her husband George of Milford, Rita Bertonassi of Southborough and her brothers in law, Fernando Baldelli and Andy Baldelli both of Southborough and her sister in law, Thelma Bertonassi of Marlborough.
She was also the mother of the late Carl Phillipo who died in 2011 and the sister of the late Carl Bertonassi, Irene Baldelli and Lena Baldelli.
Visiting hours will be held on Friday, September 12 from 4-7 pm at the Slattery Funeral Home, Inc., 40 Pleasant St., Marlborough, MA.
A funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday, September 13 at 10:30 am at St. Anne Church, 20 Boston Rd., Rte 30, Southborough, MA.
Burial will follow at Rural Cemetery, Rte 30,Southborough. Donations may be made to the Southborough Sr. Center, 9 Cordaville Rd, Southborough, MA 01772
(Obituary and photo via Slattery Funeral Home)
Alice is one of the people who has given heart and soul to this town. As a teen, though she loved school, she had to leave to care for her ill mother and her sisters, all the while making sure they understood the importance of school; she tried to keep up with studies on her own.
I interviewed her for “Southborough Memories” and realized how very hard women of the past generations worked. With a family of her own and growing vegetables and cooking and making clothes, and doing the wash, she also managed to waitress for at two area restaurants—driven to and from by relatives and friends. “In my spare time I used to take in ironing,” she said, and “sometimes I went to a home, (the Burnetts for one) to do a little housework, the washing, and the ironing.”
Later, after her years doing lunch at the Senior Center in the Village Hall, the new lunch program in Cordaville Hall no longer could pay her to work. But Alice being Alice, she couldn’t settle for that—she volunteered twice a week.
“You know what, I love meeting people, “ she said. And so many people loved meeting her. A part of Southborough has been lost with Alice.
Thank you Donna for the comments on my mother.
We will all miss her and have to remember all of the wonderful things she did for us.
Again, thank you.