Fosco J. Picchi

Fosco J. Picchi CORNISH, Maine Fosco J. Picchi, born Jan. 15, 1936, near Florence, Italy, immigrated to the United States in 1946 at the age of 10. He graduated from Brookline High School in 1955. Fosco married Ann Sidelinger in 1957, graduated from Mass. College of Art in 1959, and went on to achieve his master's degree from Cranbrook Academy. While he always considered himself an artist, his primary vocation was as an educator. Settling into teaching high school in Holliston, he rose to direct the art program for the entire school system. Under his leadership, the Holliston art program became diverse and comprehensive, making it a source of pride and national recognition for the community. In 1972, he married his second wife, fellow artist and educator, Marjorie (Werner) Sheehan. Retiring in 1987, they relocated to Foscos childhood home in the Tuscany area of Italy, where they developed an active social life with other enthusiasts of the arts. Fosco frequently summered at Casa Piccola on Hession Hill in Cornish Maine, a small house he built with his own hands in the 1970s. It was here, in the final months of his life, that he enjoyed friends, family, good food, and his beloved opera. Despite a slow deterioration of health, he remained cheerful and optimistic adjusting to his limitations. On Sunday, August 17, he suffered a massive stroke. He passed peacefully on Wednesday evening, Aug. 20, 2008. Fosco will be remembered by friends and family as having a passion for great art and music, which he shared generously with us all. He lived a wonderful and beautiful life, and he was loved. Fosco is survived by his wife, Marjorie Werner; his son Fosco Picchi; daughters, Jennifer MacLeod and Vanessa Liberatore; step-daughters, Elizabeth Benatti, Catherine Sheehan, and Margaret Sheehan; step-son, Robert Sheehan; grandson, Tyler Liberatore, and step-grandchildren, Carla and Dominic Benatti, and Molly Winer. The family would like to invite all who wish to toast his life to an open house in Cornish Maine on Saturday, Sept. 13. Details and directions can be found at www.foscoandmary.com, or by e-mailing foscop@roadrunner.com, or by calling 207-625-3061. The family would like to commission a piece of music in Foscos honor. Information for those who would like to contribute will be posted on the Web site. Funeral arrangements were respectfully handled by Watson Funeral Home, Cornish, Maine.