Anita J. Reali

1929 - 2016

Anita J. Higgins Reali, 88
FALMOUTH - Anita J. Higgins Reali, 88 of Falmouth, died on Thursday morning, May 26, 2016, at Falmouth by the Sea.
She was born in Ellsworth on Sept 20, 1929, the daughter of Kenneth and Sarah Clark Higgins, where she attended schools.
She moved to Portland when she was 17, and got a job as a waitress at The Village Café Restaurant. She met Amedeo Reali at the Village Café; he was working there helping his father at the famous and sorely-missed Portland institution which eventually took over and grew to a 400-seat landmark.
Anita and Amedeo were married in 1948, but because she was Irish, not Italian, her father-in-law was not thrilled with their marriage. He later warmed up to her though, as she soon provided him with six grandsons and two granddaughters.
Anita kept the Reali household together while Amedeo worked 80 hours a week at the Village Café. They initially housed eight children with them in a two-bedroom apartment on Newbury Street across from the restaurant. After the Village expanded, they moved to Falmouth where she lived with Amedeo until his death in 2010. Soon after she moved into Oceanview at Falmouth and was well cared for by the assisted living staff.
Anita was known for her kindness and charity. She was a communicant of St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, where she was member of the Sacred Heart Sodality, and was a tireless volunteer at the annual St. Rocco's Italian Bazaar hosted by St. Peter's Catholic Church. She also enjoyed trips to New York City with her friends, for shopping and taking in a Broadway show.
Anita will be remembered as a devoted mother who doted on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was the center of attention at family gatherings and delighted in the stories that were told and retold with a few embellishments along the way.
Anita leaves six sons: John and his wife Marlene, Michael and his wife Terry, Steven and his wife Debbie, Joseph and his wife Andrea, Paul and his wife Fe, and David Reali; two daughters: Ann Marie and her husband Bill Atherton, and Maria and her partner Gavin Peoples; two sisters: Olive O'Brien, and Sandra Hisler; and a brother, Philip Higgins. She will be missed by her 17 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Relatives and friends are invited to a time of visitation on Tuesday, May 31, 2016, from 4-7 p.m. at Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St., Portland. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 1, 2016, at 10 a.m. at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, Federal Street, Portland. Interment will follow at New Calvary Cemetery, South Portland. For further information and to send a tribute in Anita's memory, please visit: www.jonesrichandhutchins.com

If so desired, contributions may be made in her memory to
St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church Memorial Fund
72 Federal Street
Portland, ME 04101