Obituary of Maria Pia Ligabo

MARIA PIA DA ROS WAS BORN ON OCTOBER 15, 1922 IN THE VENETO REGION OF ITALY. SHE WAS THE YOUNGEST OF FIVE SIBLINGS. MARIA WAS A FINE STUDENT WHO EXCELLED IN MATH BUT HAD TO LEAVE SCHOOL AT AGE 10 WHEN HER FATHER PASSED AWAY. SHE APPRENTICED IN SILK FACTORIES AND AFTERWARDS WAS A DOMESTIC FOR A VERY AFFLUENT LOCAL FAMILY. FOLLOWING WORLD WAR II, SHE TRAVELED TO SWITZERLAND AND WORKED IN ZURICH FOR SEVERAL YEARS. SHE LATER MET VITO LIGABO` AT THE AMERICAN EMBASSY AS THEY WAITED FOR THEIR US IMIGRATION VISAS. THEY CORRESPONDED BY LETTER AND AFTERWARDS MET AGAIN IN NEW YORK IN 1953.

VITO AND MARIA MARRIED IN 1956, BECAME US CITIZENS AND LEARNED TO SPEAK ENGLISH AT NIGHT SCHOOL. THEY SETTLED IN GREAT NECK AND WORKED TOGETHER ON AN ESTATE IN KINGS POINT, NY. IN 1957 THEIR DAUGHTER ROSEMARY WAS BORN, FOLLOWED BY CATHERINE IN 1960. AFTER VITO’S UNTIMELY DEATH IN 1976, MARIA REMAINED A WIDOW FOR 43 YEARS. SHE DEVELOPED DEMENTIA IN HER 80’S AND NOT ABLE TO LIVE ALONE, BECAME A RESIDENT IN AN ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY IN OYSTER BAY FOR THREE YEARS. AS HER DEMENTIA PROGRESSED, HER FAMILY TRANSFERRED HER TO ST. JOHNLAND NURSING CENTER WHERE SHE REMAINED FOR 11 YEARS.

MARIA LEAVES BEHIND HER DAUGHTERS: ROSEMARY LIGABO` CONA, HUSBAND CHARLIE AND CATHERINE LIGABO`DRAGOTTA, HER HUSBAND ANGELO, AND STEP-GRANDAUGHTER JILL DRAGOTTA. SHE IS PRE-DECEASED BY BROTHERS, RICHARD AND JOHN AND SISTERS, ROMA AND ELVIRA. MARIA HAS NIECES AND NEPHEWS RESIDING IN ITALY, AS WELL AS WESTCHESTER, NY, BALTIMORE, MD AND JACKSON, MS.

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, THE FAMILY KINDLY ASKS THAT DONATIONS BE MADE TO: 

THE SOCIETY OF ST. JOHNLAND FOUNDATION

ST. JOHNLAND NURSING CENTER

395 SUNKEN MEADOW ROAD

KINGS PARK, NY 11754-1099 WWW.STJOHNLAND.ORG