Marie Xavier Rossato

1918 - 2014

Marie Xavier (DiPinto) Rossato, 95, of Simsbury, beloved wife of the late Narciso Rossato, died Wednesday, March 26th, 2014 at her home with her family by her side. She was born August 10, 1918 in the Bronx, NY and has lived in Connecticut from 1972, eventually moving to Simsbury. She attended Hunter College studying to become a Spanish teacher. Because teaching positions were not available she worked as an assistant in an import export business. During World War II she worked in the Censorship Office because of her fluency in Italian and Spanish. Following the war she became a Dietician. In 1948 she decided to accept a position with the Gulf Oil Co. as the Dietician of their hospital in San Tomé, Venezuela. This move would change her life as she met Narciso Rossato, an emigrant from Vicenza, Italy. With Narciso she opened a very successful bar and restaurant that became the hot spot to dine, dance and enjoy evenings for the mix of Americans, Venezuelans and Europeans working in oil exploration. The beauty of the locale in what then was an underdeveloped oil town gave rise to the business' name, Oasis. That name would remain as Marie and Narciso entered into other enterprises, culminating in establishing what would be the first industrial bakery in the area making sandwich bread and other products. Marie and Narciso ran the bakery jointly except for a five year period in the early 1960's when Marie lived in Varese, Italy, with her sons Peter and Robert. During this period her daughter, Elsa, was born. The family returned to Venezuela for a while until Marie came to Suffield so her sons could attend high school in America, and she could enroll Elsa in the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford. In the early 1990's Marie moved to Simsbury with her son, Peter, and his wife, Casey, and cared for her two grandsons, Ken and Nick, whom she loved dearly. Marie had a great love for gardening and cooking. Her gardens were always spectacular and no one left her dinner table hungry. In her later years she enjoyed knitting, making several heirloom pieces for her grandsons. She kept her mind agile to the end by being a voracious reader and doing daily crossword and Sudoku puzzles. She is survived by her two sons, Peter Rossato and his wife Donna "Casey" Case-Rossato of Simsbury and Robert Rossato of Granby; her daughter, Elsa Rossato of Simsbury; two grandsons, Kenneth Rossato of Silver Spring, MD and Nicholas Rossato of Simsbury. In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her brother, Luke DiPinto. The family would like to acknowledge Dr. Richard Sylvan, the oncologist who treated our mother for her aggressive breast cancer in 1978. He gave her an additional 35 years that allowed her to live with her grandsons and watch them grow into fine young men. We also want to recognize the staff of Virginia Connolly Residence in Simsbury where she lived until her passing and the staff of Mc Lean Hospice. We are most appreciative for their dedicated care and love towards our mother. Friends may call at the Vincent Funeral Home, 880 Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury on Friday, April 4th, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. A memorial service will be held at the funeral home on Saturday, April 5th at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The American School for the Deaf, 139 N Main St, West Hartford, CT 06107 or to the Virginia Connolly Residence, 1600 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT 06070 or to the Simsbury Public Library, 725 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT 06070. Please visit Marie's "Book of Memories" at www.vincentfuneralhome.com for online condolences.