Corinne Louise Conte

CONTE, Corinne Louise 87, of Mill Valley, California, and of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, died peacefully of natural causes, surrounded by her family, on Tuesday, April 28, at the home of her daughter, Sylvia Certo, with whom she had been living the last four years. Corinne was born on January 24, 1922, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Charles and Kathleen Clemente Duval. At the age of 13, she won the New England Championship for Breast Stroke Swimming. She graduated from Pittsfield High School and St. Luke's School of Nursing in Pittsfield. She served as a nurse in the Navy during World War II where she met her future husband, the late Congressman Silvio O. Conte when he was in the Seabees and recovering from an illness. They were married in Pittsfield on November 8, 1947. Silvio died on February 8, 1991. After Silvio was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1958, Corinne moved to Bethesda, Maryland, where she raised their four children. While in the Washington, D.C. area, she worked as a real estate agent with Boss and Phelps Real Estate Company. Corinne was an active campaigner for her husband, Silvio, meeting every U.S. President from Dwight D. Eisenhower to George H.W. Bush, and many of the world's leaders from the 1950s through the early 1990s. She also danced with Lyndon B. Johnson at his Inaugural Ball and served on President Bush's special Committee on Mental Health in the late 1980s. Corinne was an avid Red Sox fan and was very thankful that she lived to see the "Curse of the Bambino" broken. She was committed to her Catholic faith and was a daily communicant for years at Little Flower Roman Catholic Church in Bethesda, Maryland, as well as Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church and St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, both in Pittsfield. In her younger years, she had a private pilot's license. But, most of all, Corinne loved to play cards on a daily basis while living with her daughter in Mill Valley. She enjoyed a last game with her children a few days before her death, which she won, decisively. Corinne was a friendly and cheerful person who was loved by everyone who knew her. Her twinkling blue eyes will be dearly missed by all. Corinne is survived by her children, Michelle M. Webb and her husband, Harry, of Hardwick, Massachusetts; Sylvia Certo and her husband, Nick of Mill Valley, California; John F.X. Conte and his wife, Betsy, of West Simsbury, Connecticut, and Gayle L. Conte-Fowler and her husband, Gary, of Orosi, Costa Rica; her grandchildren, Jason Webb and his wife, Alison, Ryan Webb and his wife, Betsy, Corinne Webb, Jake Conte, Patrick Conte, Nicholas Certo, and Mia Certo; her great grandchildren, Travis Webb, Justin Webb, and Samantha Webb; as well as her sister, Kathleen Tournier and her husband, Joseph, of Pittsfield, as well as her sisters-in-law, Elizabeth Baldessarini and Angie Bowerman, both of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and her brother-in-law, Donald Reid of South Dennis, Massachusetts; and many nieces and nephews. She was pre-deceased by two brothers-in-law, Joseph Baldessarini and Lawrence Bowerman, and a sister-in-law, Sylvia Reid. Funeral services for Corinne Louise Duval Conte who died Tuesday, April 28, will be Monday, May 4, with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m., at St. Joseph Church, 414 North Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Burial will follow in St. Joseph's Cemetery. Calling hours will be Sunday, May 3, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Dery Funeral Home, 54 Bradford Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 (413-443-9151). In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that contributions be made to the Silvio O. and Corinne L. Conte Scholarship Fund at Boston College, More Hall 220, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02457, c/o Joanne Goggins, Executive Director. This fund was established to provide scholarships for students from the First Congressional District.