She leaves her daughter, Joann Ventresca Iacaboni and her husband, Vincent J. Iacaboni, of Jackson, Miss.; three sisters, Mary Silvestry of Westborough, Angelina Pepin and Lucy Hamilton, both of Worcester; three grandchildren, Kristina Iacaboni Cutrer, Marc D. Iacaboni and Darcy Fletcher Messineo; six great-grandchildren, Olivia and Grace Iacaboni and their mother, Kedrin, Nicholas, Zachary Messineo, Madilyn Messineo and Christopher Cutrer; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her daughter, Evelyn Fletcher Moore; her grandson, Vincent J Iacaboni Jr.; her brothers, Joseph D’Elia and Alfred D’Elia; and her sister, Rose Sachetto.
A graduate of Commerce High School in Worcester, Mrs. Ventrasca worked as a seamstress until she retired from Davey's Bags in 1981. She was a member of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Worcester and then St. Mary's Church in Shrewsbury.
Since the time of her husband's passing, those that knew her have realized that she was “Amazing Grace.” She was legally blind for 20 years and, following Joe's passing, decided that she would continue to live on her own for as long as she could care for herself, which she did up until one week prior to her passing. She attributed this success to the assistance of the Commission for the Blind; her caregiver, Trish Gould; her neighbors of 50 years, Ruth and Paul Kozakevich; and her niece, Luann Fox. She also could not have done it without the daily phone calls from all of her friends and family who loved her so dearly.
Mrs. Ventresca was fortunate to have celebrated her 91st birthday last year with 54 D’ Elia descendants in attendance. As the matriarch of the family, she truly appreciated this surprise with four generations by her side.
The funeral will be held Saturday March 12, from The Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel, 370 Plantation St., Worcester, with a Mass of Christian burial at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, 640 Main St., Shrewsbury. Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery in Worcester. Friends and relatives are invited to visit with the family from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday March 12 in the funeral home prior to the funeral. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Commission for the Blind, 390 Main St., Suite #625, Worcester, MA.01608.
