Louise T. (Nonni, as she was known to everyone) Davies died peacefully at home with family on the night of April 27, 2016. She was 91 years old.
Born in Springfield on July 28, 1924, she was the daughter of Umberto from Naples, Italy, and Grace (Fiorentino) Tucci from Orta Nova, Italy. Nonni grew up in the South End, the Italian section of the city, with her brothers Benny and Mike, sister Sofia, and many cousins. She was proud of her Italian heritage, and spent much time with the Italian order of nuns the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy. She entered the convent, and while there sang soprano in the choir and taught piano. Sent some distance away from her family, she missed them too much, and left the order, returning to Springfield. There she met and married the handsome, charming Jack Davies, with whom she had seven children. They lived for awhile in the South End, where they brought their children to the feasts put on by Italian Catholic organizations. They then moved to their first home on “the Hill,” a small neighborhood where they had many friends. Nonni, who found humor in everything and never took anything other than her faith and family too seriously, took up golf. Much to the surprise of her more serious friends, she even got a hole in one! She loved westerns, action and adventure movies, anything with John Wayne, Randolph Scott, or Errol Flynn, and enjoyed reading Harlequin romances.
She learned to drive during her fifth pregnancy so that she could attend her kids’ all-important events. She often told us the story of how it was a torrential downpour when she went for the driving test, and the registry officer just asked her to get him back to the registry and he would give her the license! She drove a Ford Thunderbird convertible, and the kids would all pile into it after swimming at Haviland Pond in Ludlow, and stop at Burger Chef, where you could get bags of seven burgers for $1. She was a staunch advocate for her kids in any situation, and raising a family during the ’60s, there were some tough situations! Nonni found humor in everything, and her radiant smile was infectious.
After her kids moved to the Vineyard, she relocated to be with them. She attended daily Mass at Our Lady Star of the Sea, where she made many good friends. She would often be seen at Reliable or on Circuit Avenue, rosary beads in her hands. She was a good and faithful servant of the Lord. She had a special devotion to the Blessed Mother and St. Anthony of Padua. She felt blessed that she was able to travel to Italy twice, once with her sister Sofia, and actually saw Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
Devoted to her family, she loved being with her grandchildren, attending many sporting and school events, the Italian feasts in Boston’s North End, trips to Disney World, and making taralles with them and just watching them grow. Her children and grandchildren, along with her heart’s delight, her great-grandson Conner, were her greatest joys. She amused us all with her wonderful positive outlook, her stories of growing up in the South End, and the things she heard without her hearing aids! When we laughed at something she misunderstood because she didn’t hear it correctly, she would always say, “Who is going to make you laugh when I’m gone?” We will still laugh, Nonni, because you are in our hearts forever. She saw the good in everyone and never judged. Nonni truly was “love personified.”
She was predeceased by her parents, her brother Mike, her husband Jack, and her son Stephen. She is survived by her sister Sofia and brother Benny (Mary); daughters Tena and Debra; her sons, John or “Rick” as he is known to many, Gerry (Holly), Doug (Paulee), and Bill (Robin); her grandchildren, Christine, Brenda, Melissa, Mike, Kiley, Sam, Alicia (Jon), Christopher, Nick, Matt, Joe, Brianna, Max, and Sydney (her “mini-me”); great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; her friends Eleanor Tompkins, Margaret Penicaud, and Ree Jutras-Kuser; her “adopted Jersey Boy” Mike Hochman, and her beloved pets Baci, Daisy, and Miss Kitty.
A memorial Mass will be held on June 18 at 10 am at Our Lady Star of the Sea, Massasoit Avenue, Oak Bluffs, with burial immediately following at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Vineyard Avenue, Oak Bluffs. A celebration of her life will be held after that, at her son Bill’s residence in Oak Bluffs.
Donations may be made to Good Shepherd Parish of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 1068, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, or Hope Hospice, 765 Attucks Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601.
Arrangements are under the care of the Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home, Edgartown Road, Oak Bluffs. Visit ccgfuneralhome.com for online guest book and information.
The post Louise Therese Davies appeared first on Martha's Vineyard Times.