Nancy Lee Scognamillo

1937 - 2021

Aug. 25, 1937 - July 2, 2021 "God has blessed us with many gifts!"- Nancy Lee Scognamillo; Nancy Lee (Bird) Scognamillo of San Pedro passed away on July 2, 2021, surrounded by her family. She was 83 years old. Nancy was born on August 25,1937, in Long Beach, California, the oldest child of her beloved father, Frank Bird, and mother, Wilmot (Becker). She was loved by her brother Joseph Bird and sister Candace (Bird) Saxman. She is preceded in death by her daughter Andrea and son Mark, her parents Frank and Wilmot Bird, her grandparents Roy J. and Lucille Becker and Walter G. and Ethel Bird, uncles John Karmelich and Edouard Amar, aunts Helen (Karmelich) Amar and Norma Karmelich, and cousin Sue Amar. Nancy spent much of her childhood in San Pedro, Ca, where she learned to hunt for faeries in her garden and developed a love for the beach. She attended Pt. Fermin Elementary and Dana Junior High School. She moved in 1951 with her family to Richmond, Ca. and lived there for several years before returning to San Pedro, where her parents worked for Becker Insurance Agency. She graduated from San Pedro High School in 1955 and attended Long Beach State College. Nancy met Rosario Joseph Anthony Scognamillo in 1953 on a blind date arranged by her cousin Sue Amar. It was love at first sight. Nancy loved to say that she "swooned for Italians!" A promise to include breakfast after Sunday Mass started Nancy on her journey of devotion to the Catholic faith. Nancy and Rosario were married on November 23, 1957, at the "old" Mary Star of the Sea Church on 9th Street. Nancy loved her life with Rosario in San Pedro. They lived 60 years of their lives in the same home near the old San Pedro Drive-In, just below Lochmann Farms. Nancy was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend. She often would say that she had the best of sons and the best of daughters (she never used the term, "in-law"). She was a loving mother to Michael Anthony (Barbara Kollberg) Scognamillo; Mark John (Teresa Scott) Scogamillo; Anthony Frank (Sandra Viducich) Scognamillo; Frank Charles (Beth Saloka) Scognamillo; Andrea Scognamillo; John (Kathleen Etter) Scognamillo; Joseph Rosario (Amanda Tomsco) Scognamillo; she continued to hold a special place in her heart for Annette (Riecke) Scognamillo and Teresa (Gioiello) Pisano. Nancy is also survived by her brother Joseph (Linda) Bird and sister Candace (Kevin) Saxman; nephews Frank (Maria) Bird, Craig (Alesia) Saxman and Brian Saxman, niece Kathy (Paul) Johnson and their families; as well as cousins Edouard (Bob)Amar, Judy Hole, Diane McGowan and their families. Nancy was grandmother to 20 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren! They helped her appreciate what she had and she never failed to lose sight of how precious her time with them was. She will be forever remembered for collecting shells on her beloved Catalina Island, afternoon teas, games of tiddlywinks, arts and crafts, long hours searching for faeries in her garden or arrowheads in Lake Arrowhead, comfy harvests, plus cut up apples and peanut butter while watching Disney movies. Nancy was the rock of her family and ran the home seemingly effortlessly. She raised her children with grace and little complaint. Ask her boys about her famous lunches and Sunday breakfasts. She was up early each morning to plan her day and pray her devotions and kept a notebook of missing children for whom she'd pray. All of this before attending 6:30 am mass at Holy Trinity Church. She loved her "faith family," as she'd call her friends that attended early mass with her. Baptized a Presbyterian as an infant, Nancy was baptized again as a Catholic in 1954. Rosario often teased her that he had saved her, and in fact, she truly believed he did! Rosario and Nancy were a model of faith and works their entire life together. Nancy taught catechism classes from her home in the 1960s and at Mary Star in the 1980s. She was a longtime lector and Eucharist minister with Rosario at both Holy Trinity and Mary Star of the Sea churches. The family would like to thank Denise, Arlette, and Alfred, her loving caregivers. Funeral mass will be held at Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church on Monday, July 12, 2021. Viewing will be from 10:00-10:30 am, followed by a Rosary and funeral mass, with burial to follow at Green Hills Memorial Park. Please sign the guestbook at mcnerneysmortuary.com. In Lieu of flowers, the family requested that donations be made in honor of Nancy to Christian Care of Mary Star of the Sea Church or a charity of your choice. "You're the best Nancy in all the world!" - Everyone