Mary Vincenza Infelise

Mary Vincenza Infelise died in her sleep on September 20 in Emeryville, California. She is survived, and will be greatly missed, by her sons and daughter-in-laws, Phillip and Phyllis and Bob and Linda; her sister, Chancey Hennemen; her grandchildren, Kadidja, Payson, Allegra, Gioia, Tyler and Whitney; her brother-in-law Dan Cucci; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Mary was born on December 11, 1920 in Chicago to Antonio and Rosalba Moretti. She graduated from McKinley High, and trained as a comptometer (think manual computer) operator. Before shipping out to Europe as a medic, fellow McKinley grad Phil Infelise asked Mary, as he put it, ‘why don’t we get married?” She said yes, and they spent the next 69 years together.

After the war, Phil and Mary started a family in Chicago, and welcomed Josephine and Phillip into this world. They later moved to Long Beach, bought a house in what had been a bean field, and had one more child, Robert.

Phil and Mary managed to see a sizeable chunk of the world during their lives, but Mary was happiest in her own home, especially in her kitchen. As was her destiny at birth, Mary specialized in Italian cuisine. Her spaghetti sauce (which she called “gravy”) is a masterpiece, and the recipe lives on with her children and grandchildren. Mary also took up cake decorating in the 1960s. Her cakes looked great, so great that her family was often not allowed to actually eat them.

The most difficult time in Mary’s life was watching her daughter lose her battle against cancer. Mary was devastated when Jo died in 1993. But Mary did not give up, in part because she had her grandchildren. Nothing brought more joy to Mary than being in the kitchen with her grandchildren. Spoiling them in every way possible was her passion.

Mary mourned Phil’s death in 2014 for the rest of her life. And much to Mary’s chagrine, her children insisted that she move from her beloved Long Beach to live near one of her sons in the San Francisco Bay area. But as much as she wanted to be back in her own home, Mary enjoyed being near family.

Mary’s family would like to thank the staff at Bayside Park in Emeryville for the fun and tender loving care they provided to Mary the past two years.

Funeral services will take place at noon on Saturday, September 24, at the Luyben Dilday Mortuary, located at 5161 Arbor Road in Long Beach. A burial service will follow at the All Souls Catholic Cemetery, at 4400 Cherry Avenue in Long Beach. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Optimist Youth Homes & Family Services, 6957 N. Figueroa Street in Los Angeles 90041, or a charity of your choice.

Luyben Dilday Mortuary (562) 425-6401