Linda Marie Zappasodi

Linda Marie Zappasodi, 65, formerly of Upper Darby, PA, died of breast cancer Thursday, June 11 at her home in College Park, MD, surrounded by family and friends. Ms. Zappasodi was a 1967 graduate of Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill, PA, and a 1971 graduate of Georgetown University. She majored in history and was one of the first three women to graduate from Georgetown College, the university's school of liberal arts that was all-male until the 1969-1970 academic year. Ms. Zappasodi had a lifelong passion for history and was widely read on subjects including the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and World War II. Ms. Zappasodi remained in the Washington area after graduation and began working in administrative positions, including in the Capitol Hill offices of Representatives Norman Lent of New York and Clarence Brown of Ohio. In the early 1980s, she began her career in construction project and facilities management, working for area builders and then Trinity College, Congressional Quarterly Inc., and the AFL-CIO. For the last 16 years, Ms. Zappasodi was Director of Facilities, Operations and Safety for the University of Maryland's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. In this capacity, she oversaw the construction of a large, new wing of the department's building to add classrooms, laboratories, and public spaces. In her project and facilities management work, Ms. Zappasodi received consistent praise for her communication skills with professional and paraprofessional staff affected by projects, with contractors and vendors, and with members of work crews. She was known by project stakeholders for her organizational skills, for anticipating problems, and for delivering projects on time and on budget. Ms. Zappasodi was renowned among family and friends for her cooking, baking, and cocktails. While she specialized in Italian cooking, she was also an accomplished cook of French and Indian cuisine. She entertained regularly and on occasion catered weddings and other events. Ms. Zappasodi was considerate and generous with family and friends and was a donor to many charities in the Philadelphia and Washington areas. She was a passionate fan of Georgetown Hoyas basketball and a season ticket holder for nearly 35 years. She maintained lifelong loyalty to the Phillies and Eagles, often recalled ball games held at old Connie Mack Stadium, and enjoyed recent trips to games at Citizens Bank Park. Ms. Zappasodi also traveled extensively in the United States, including taking cross-country train trips. In 2013 she fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting Normandy and the south of France. She was a fan of classic movies, especially WWII movies and John Wayne westerns. Ms. Zappasodi was born in Philadelphia on January 28, 1950, to Pio ("Pete") and Anna (D'Urso) Zappasodi. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her sister Suzanne. She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law Carolyn and Vincent Bisazza; their children Vincent (Peggy Desko) and Anthony (Pam) Bisazza and Christina (Mike) Boland; and grandnieces Ava and Brooke Boland. Family and hundreds of friends and colleagues will miss her wholehearted embrace of life. In addition to Pennsylvania services, a memorial service will be held at UMD chapel later this summer. Memorial donations may be made to Philabundance, 3616 S Galloway St, Philadelphia, PA 19148, Save a Mind Foundation, One Belmont Avenue, Suite 602, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, Food and Friends (Development Dept., 219 Riggs Rd., NE, Washington, DC 20011) and to S.O.M.E. (71 "O" St., NW, Washington, DC 20001). Please write "In memory of Linda Zappasodi" on the memo line of a check, or donate online.