Maria (LaFerla) Silvestro, age 98, of Somerville, passed away on Monday, December 19, in Bear Mountain at Reading nursing home. Born and raised in Augusta, Sicily, she was the daughter of the late Francesco and Rosa (Pattania) LaFerla. Maria immigrated to the US in the 1950s, settling first in Boston’s West End before moving to Somerville in the 1960s, and worked for many years as a seamstress. Maria was always convivial and had a beautiful smile. She was a very positive person and saw the glass as half-full. Sewing was her passion, and she also loved to cook for family and friends.
Maria was the beloved wife of the late Frank Silvestro and the devoted mother of Grace Riccardi and her husband Joseph of Reading, Joe Silvestro of Stoneham, and Frank Silvestro of Fremont, CA. She was the loving grandmother of Capt. Joseph T. Riccardi, U.S.M.C. and his wife Rebecca of Woodbridge, VA, Lauren R. Riccardi of Somerville, and Karina Silvestro of Fremont, CA. Maria was the dear sister of Josephine Randazzo and her late husband Angelo, the late Anita Scalzo and her husband Salvatore, the late Joseph LaFerla and his wife Frances, the late Salvatore LaFerla and his wife Linda, and the late Domenic LaFerla and his surviving wife Francesca. She is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.
A funeral will be held from the Dello Russo Funeral Home, 306 Main St., Medford, on Thursday, December 29 at 9 AM followed by a funeral mass celebrated in St. Ann’s Church, 399 Medford St., Somerville, at 10 AM. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend and may visit with family on Wednesday, December 28 from 4 through 7 PM. Services will conclude with burial at Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent in Maria’s name to a charity of One’s choice.
