Mollie Morrissey DiGiovanni

Mollie Morrissey - DiGiovanni Tewksbury resident since 1950 Tewksbury, MA Malvena "Mollie" (Jasilewicz) (Morrissey) DiGiovanni, whose role as Matriarch of extended Polish and Italian families ended on November 5, 2007, a month shy of her 87th birthday, when she passed away in her sleep at the Sawtelle House in Reading. On December 5,1920, in Boston, Mollie became the firstborn child of Boleslaw "Benny" and Josephine (Lubin) Jasilewicz. She was her Mother's Helper raising the family in the Polish tradition while she attended Boston High and Latin. As a teenager, she modeled ballroom gowns and fur coats for prominent Boston boutiques. At the age of 21 she worked for Charlie Adams in his Cambridge garage, the beginning of Raytheon. Mollie married Tom Morrissey from Dorchester on September 5,1943 and they settled in Watertown, where he worked for the Watertown Arsenal. They and family members built Mollie's new home on County Road in Tewksbury in 1950. While her three children were in school, Mollie was on staff at Vogue Dolls in Waltham and later Tennis Creations in Brookline, where she sewed and on occasion modeled at Longwood Cricket Club and Abercrombie and Fitch in New York City. At night she attended Fitchburg State enabling her to teach tailoring and advanced sewing at Tewksbury and Wilmington schools. She felt fortunate to be working full time at Millipore in Bedford, while shortly later her beloved first husband, Tom, passed away on November 8,1977. Mollie was among the first members of St. Dorothy's Church, and the St. Dorothy's Sodality, was a member of the Red Hat Society with her dear friend, Helen Hair, was a member of the Tewksbury Golden Age Club, and a daily visitor to the Tewksbury Senior Center. In June of 1981, Mollie married Freddie DiGiovanni from Tewksbury, whom she had known for 25 years, and they wonderfully combined their two families with love, music and Italian feasts. They traveled often to California and the east coast, until Freddie died on May 23, 1997. She is survived by her children with Tom; Thomas Morrissey, Jr., and Terry Morrissey, both of Tewksbury, Linda Neeley and her husband Cecil of Alton Bay, NH; her children from Freddie's side; Joyce Trinchera of Wilmington, and Dennis DiGiovanni and his wife Nancy of Sandwich, Cape Cod; six grandchildren, Robert Mott of Laconia, NH, Marc Trinchera and Ryan Trinchera of Wilmington, David DiGiovanni of Sandwich, MA, Amy DiGiovanni and Paul DiGiovanni of Milford, NH; three sisters, Stella Goulet and her husband Roger of Attleboro, Lucy Sosnowski of Andover, and Marion Sanborn and her husband Chuck of Spring Hill, FL; a sister-in-law, Martha Jasilewicz of Tyngsboro; and many nieces and nephews. She was also the sister of the late Helen Domurat and Benny Jasilewicz. DIGIOVANNI (Morrissey) of Tewksbury, Nov. 5; Malvena "Mollie" (Jasilewicz) (Morrissey) DiGiovanni, Age 86. Her funeral will begin on Friday at 10:45 a.m. from the TEWKSBURY FUNERAL HOME, corner of Dewey and Main Sts. (Rte 38) TEWKSBURY CENTER, phone (800 in MA or 978) 851 2950. Mollie's Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12:00 Noon on Friday, Nov. 9, at St. Dorothy's Church, Main St. (Rte 38) Wilmington. Burial will follow at St. Bernard's Cemetery in Concord, MA. Visiting hours Thursday 4 to 7 p.m. in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Tewksbury Friends of Elderly, Building Fund, c/o Linda Brabant, 460 East St. Tewksbury, MA 01876, will be appreciated. tewksburyfuneralhome.com