Angelina R. (Alesse) Salvo

A Memorial Mass will be offered on Saturday, April 23, 2022 for Angelina Rita "Angie" (Alesse) Salvo, of Waltham, who died at the height of the pandemic on Friday, April 24, 2020 at Wingate at Weston. She was 92.

The Mass will be held at 10 a.m. in Sacred Heart Church, 311 River Street, Waltham and following the Mass committal prayers will be read over her grave at Mount Feake Cemetery. After that a reception will be held at the Chateau Restaurant on School Street.

She was the wife of the late Harry A. Salvo.

Angie leaves her children, Joseph C. Salvo of Mashpee, Patricia J. Hinckley Kilmain of Marstons Mills, Harry A. 'Skippy' Salvo, Jr. (Deborah) of Waltham and Christopher J. Salvo (Tracey) of Waltham and her grandchildren, Meghan Hinckley, Derek, Matthew, Michael, Brittany, Jessica and Olivia Salvo.

One of twelve children born to the late Michelangelo and Antonina (Muloni) Alesse she also leaves her sister, Eleanor Martell and her sister-in-law, Lorraine Alesse.

She was predeceased by her siblings, Raymond Alesse (Rose), Mary Jannetti (Domenic), Rosalie Bonica (John), Sadie Cardillo (Anthony), Lena Green (Henry), Jeanette Taylor (Joseph), Rosario "Sonny" Alesse (Marygail), Lorraine's husband, Carmen Alesse and infants Raymond and Angelina Alesse. She was also predeceased by Eleanor's husband, John Martell.

Angie also leaves many cousins, nieces, nephews and their families.

Memories of her life provided by her family tell the story of a woman for whom life, love, faith, family and friendships meant everything . . .

"Mom was born in Waltham on January 25, 1928 as a second generation Italian whose parents were born in Argona, Sicily. She lived her life with two loves - first and foremost, family and second, cooking for family and friends.

Mom and her father were very close. Grandpa peddled various types of food out of his truck; meat, fish, fruits and vegetables. Mom started working with Grandpa at the age of eight and whenever she had the opportunity, would travel with him to Boston to purchase the food. Once they returned to Waltham, Grandpa would drive through the streets of Waltham with Mom standing on the mud-flaps and holding on for dear life. At each stop she would bellow out their name - Alesse, Alesse. In 1945 after twenty years of peddling, Grandpa stopped peddling and opened The Alesse Variety Store with Mom working along-side.

In high school Mom was an excellent student. As a senior Mom and some of her friends started the "Frank Sinatra Fan Club". The club motto was "We'd lay down our lives and die for Frankie". One day Mom and her sister Sadie dressed up to the nines wearing a sport coat and bow tie. They packed a lunch and skipped school to watch Frank Sinatra perform in Boston.

One Friday night Mom went dancing at 'Nuttings on the Charles' and met the love of her life, Belmont native and US Army World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient, Harry A. Salvo.

Nuttings was a dance hall built on the Charles River where Prospect Street crosses the Charles; only one half mile from their final resting places. If you look at the river you can still see the pilings left over from the dance hall. Harry and Angie fell in love and married on February 1, 1948 and settled in Waltham where they remained lifelong residents.

Shortly after their marriage Dad's health started to decline. He fought in the Pacific during the war, traveling from island to island. He contracted Behcets disease, a neurological disorder which ultimately left him blind and partially paralyzed. He would have strokes and end up in the hospital for weeks and sometimes months at a time. Mom would visit him every day. Mom's life would now change and have to focus on taking care of his daily needs.

When we were young, one of our favorite childhood memories was our entire family; grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins getting together as a family on a Sunday. Forty to fifty strong we would take over a park, ball field, or a lake and have a grand old time. Occasionally hotdogs and hamburgers were cooking on a grill but most of the time spaghetti and meatballs were the foods of choice.

Because of our Dad's illness and inability to travel, Christmas Eve was always celebrated at the Salvo house. Aunts, uncles, cousins and friends all gathered together for a feast prepared and cooked almost solely by Mom. Because of our Dad's continual decline, all holidays were held at the Salvo residence.

As hard as things could be sometimes, Mom always had a positive attitude and a smile on her face. You would always find her in the kitchen cooking and singing with music from the radio. Despite her busy schedule, whenever anyone needed a helping hand, Mom was there to answer the call.

Mom never complained and after forty seven years of taking care of the love of her life, Dad passed away the day after Christmas, 1995. He was 70.

It was a tough life but we remember her telling us that she would never change a thing. They had unconditional love for each other.

Mom's life had been consumed with taking care of her husband, four children and our two-family home. Mom did not have much of a social life during that time. After Dad passed away, it took her about a year to be able to interact in society.

Once she felt comfortable meeting and getting together with friends, she would be a frequent visitor of the Waltham Senior Center. She also enjoyed her bingo twice a week at the American Legion and at Temple Beth Israel. She enjoyed getting together for lunch with her sisters and cousins and thoroughly enjoyed her trips to Cape Cod, Scituate, and Manomet.

The highlight of her life was her trip to Italy in 1995 with her sister Rosalie. They went to Aragona, met their cousins and visited the house Grandpa was born in.

Later in life, Mom had taken a number of falls and after many visits to the hospital and going through rehabilitation, the doctors said that a nursing home was her only option. Mom spent the last three years in Wingate at Weston Nursing Home. In the nursing home they frequently had musical performers and her beautiful voice could be heard throughout the room. She knew the words to every song. Because of her impeccable taste in clothes, her jewelry and her personality, she was known to many staff members as Miss America.

Although it wasn't easy, Mom tried to make the best of every situation and enjoyed the last years of her life in the nursing home.

Because of Dad's disability, Mom lovingly raised four children and took care of her sick husband. She also managed to maintain a two-family house. She did it all.

She was the strongest person we have ever known.

She will be missed.

We love you Mom."

A broadcast of Angie's Mass will be begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 23, 2022 at https://my.gather.app/family/angelina-salvo

Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. www.stjude.org