Maria Ioffrida

Maria Ioffrida, age 81 earned her angel wings and was called into heaven on Monday October 19, 2020 after a strenuous battle with lung cancer.  She was born in Roggiano Gravina, Cosenza, Italy on March 28, 1939.  In 1975 she moved to Downey, California after marrying husband Giuseppe Ioffrida.  Maria is survived by her two daughters Antonietta Ioffrida and Emilia Ioffrida.  She lived her life always dedicated to her husband and children.  She loved to cook Italian food for anyone that came into her home and loved the holidays where she would make her favorite Italian traditional foods.  She was young at heart, loved to watch her favorite shows Dancing with the Stars and Two and a Half Men.  She would often say “Put Charlie on.”  She and her husband both shared the love of gardening.  You would often see her gather vegetables, especially her figs and share them with friends and family as a symbol of her kind and generous heart.  She even learned to make delicious “Mama Maria” fig jam.  Everyone in the neighborhood knew Maria, they all looked after her as if she were their mom too, and in a way she was.  Although she could not drive, that didn’t stop her, she walked everywhere to the stores and shops in the neighborhood.  She was only 4’11” but mighty, she handled all obstacles in her life with grace and strength.  She was a breast cancer survivor of 27 years, lived with heart complications and suffered a stroke in 2017 and regained her full speech shortly thereafter.  Though lung cancer took her life it did not diminish her spirit, she was a fighter through and through.  Maria loved everyone and everyone loved her.  She had the unique ability to make anyone smile and fall in love with her kind, sweet, funny and generous spirit.  Though she will be missed on this earth, her enduring legacy will continue in the hearts of those who loved her.

Floral Tributes are graciously accepted through Luyben Dilday Mortuary.  In lieu of Flowers, donations can be made to the following:

American Heart Association : www2.heart.org/goto/Maria_Ioffrida

GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer : secure.go2foundation.org/goto/MariaIoffrida

Living Beyond Breast Cancer: lbbc.org

Luyben Dilday Mortuary (562) 425-6401