Walburga Pileggi

Walburga Maria Biessenberger Pileggi passed away peacefully on August 27th, 2025 at home in Ambler, Pa., surrounded by family. She was born in southern Germany on March 28th, 1932. She was predeceased by her parents, her younger brothers Erich, Andreas, younger sister, Herta & husband of almost 40 years, Peter Pileggi. She is survived by her children, Vincent, Barbara, Nanci, son-in-law Michael, niece Susan, nephew Charles, & wife Colleen, beloved great nieces & nephews, Steven and fiancé Sarah, Dennis, Erica, Joseph, Christopher, & cherished grandchildren, Eric, Andrea Bussart, Jaco & Dixon Charzuk. In Germany she is survived by her half-brother, Wolfgang & his family, her nephew Thomas & family, niece Sibylle & family. She is also survived by multiple nieces & nephews & their families on the Pileggi side.
Wally was known as Oma to her grandchildren-she loved them immensely-she enjoyed being a part of & hearing about their busy lives.
Walburga/Wally met her husband in Ambler, Pa. He won a Purple Heart in Germany during WWII & loved the irony that he later married a German woman. Walburga was an expert seamstress, organic gardener, cook, baker, Foster-parent to 17 children, devoted friend, & very involved church member.
In her childhood, she overcame extreme poverty & hardships in southern Germany during World War II. Walburga's formidable years created the strong person she grew into. Wally was not only extremely beautiful inside & out, but she was very talented in many areas. She would seek out organic farms in Pa., had large vegetable & flower gardens, canned her produce for the year, made her own bread & noodles, & created gourmet meals. She was trained as a haute couture seamstress in Germany, and later went on to make formal wear for her children & friends. Wally adjusted well to her new American life with grace & determination as she married into Peter's very large family. She was a Special Ed. advocate in the public schools and was a true pioneer for her son. Several of her Foster children stayed in touch with her over the years which brought her great joy to know she made a difference in their lives.
Walburga was always a positive person who led her life around the Catholic teachings. She was extremely selfless, adventurous, curious, hard working, and always a cherished friend to many. Her empathy & love for all was abundant. She loved traveling to Germany & upstate Pa. Living to age 93 was an example of her strength, after having endured several strokes. She was still able to fight through her challenges while finding the daily joys & blessings with her loved ones. Her daughter Barbara, assisted by Vincent, was able to give her the priceless gift of staying at home as her amazing caregivers, which brought her peace & comfort till her last days. Wally will be forever missed & loved by her family, neighbors & friends.
Relatives and friends are invited to Walburga's Funeral Mass on Friday, September, 5th at 10:30AM at St. Joseph's Church, 16 S. Spring Garden St., Ambler, PA 19002. Visitation will be held in St. Joseph's Church beginning at 9:30AM prior to the funeral service. Interment will be Friday, September 5th following the Mass at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in 2700-2798 Church Rd, Glenside, PA 19038 where Walburga will join her beloved husband.
There is a reception to follow the Cemetery at Barb's house; 332 Highland Ave. Ambler, Pa. 19002