Josephine Diminico

1928 - 2024

Josephine Diminico
1928 - 2024
This is the story of Josephine (Giuseppina Perrina) Diminico. Josephine was born on April 28, 1928, and passed away June 21, 2024. She spent her early years in Italy with her parents Maria and Joseph, alongside her siblings Pasquale (JoAnn) and Lina (Giovanni). Around 1949, she and her husband came to Manchester, Connecticut, where she raised her 3 sons Joseph (Janice), Peter, and Anthony (Gail). All 3 were born in America, in hope that one day they might become president.
When life serves you lemons you make limoncello. Josephine made plenty of limoncello, sauce, pies, ravioli and much more. There was always enough food to feed everyone and anyone who showed up. If you had the pleasure of eating Josephine's food prepared in one of her kitchens - upstairs, downstairs, garage or even her backyard pizza oven, then you have heard some of her many stories. You might ask how did this little old lady face so many struggles and put up such a fight and make it to where she did on her own? Well, the stories were real and she was truly a fighter to the very end and she did it all just for her boys.
If you ever received an envelope, a jar of sauce or a box of raviolis from her, then you understood by the scribbles and spelling that Josephine, like so many young Italian farm girls, was only allowed a 3rd grade education before coming to America. She did not let that stop her. Josephine worked at any and all manual labor jobs that would have her. She also made and sold pies to supplement her income. Apple pie, pecan pie, strawberry rhubarb pie, you name it, she made it and made lots of them. She made enough pies to eventually buy her own house, but it wasn't easy. The "unnamed" burned down her stand because she refused to give them a cut. Despite this setback, she persisted. She expanded beyond pies, cooking in commercial and institutional kitchens, even launching her own catering business. These efforts proved profitable, eventually lifting her and her sons out of poverty. Josephine moved out of a shared "cold water flat" on Oakland Street, where she lived with her Italian relatives while scrimping and saving enough to get a mortgage, on her own, for her own house. Eventually, she became a landlady on her street, buying several houses and renting them to new tenants, who often became new friends.
Raising 3 boys alone was not the easiest of tasks, especially when they were the Diminico brothers. Stories of her sons almost always involved one or more of them getting into "mischief." But they were "good boys" she would remind you, while telling stories of them finding their way into trouble, winning sporting events and making a name for themselves. Despite their escapades, Josephine was always one step ahead, enlisting help from her mother and friends like Susie to keep an eye on them. She built strong bonds within her community, often feeding local police officers in gratitude for their support.
Josephine's softer side often came out when her granddaughters and great-grandchildren would come by. Heather, Laura (Zac), and Casey (Ryan) always made her smile. But pure happiness was when she was able to share an ice cream cone with JJ, Riley, Jake, Dean or Lola, while sitting in the garage looking out on all her fig trees and flowers that filled her yard.
Josephine's broken English never hindered her ability to share stories and her deep love of Italy, cooking, her vegetable garden, flowers, and the "rabbits". When asked how to make her ravioli, she would always start with how she had to milk the cow first. When asked for the recipe for one of her special dishes, she would secretly always leave out one ingredient. Her legacy will live on through her family and friends sharing the countless stories and events that are too numerous to include here. She inspired everyone she met to face life's challenges with resilience and passion. Remember to always turn lemons into limoncello. Salute!
We are all comforted, knowing she is reunited with her parents, siblings, son, and granddaughter up in heaven. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, 80 Main Street, Manchester, 06042.
Family and friends may call on the John F. Tierney Funeral Home, 219 W. Center Street, Manchester on Friday, June 28th, 2024, from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. at St. James Church, 896 Main Street, Manchester, followed by burial at St. James Cemetery. If you are unable to attend, we ask that you please join us for one last meal at Georgina's Restaurant on 275 Boston Turnpike, Bolton and mangia for Josephine! For online condolences, please visit www.tierneyfuneralhome.com.