Mrs Mary Codola

Mrs. Mary (Alfano) Codola, was born on Friday, August 26, 1927 and raised in Warren, RI, and then settled in Barrington for more than 50 years with her late husband, Pasquale known as'Pat' died Friday, February 25, 2011. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and aunt, she lived for family and friends She opened her home, hearth, and heart to all. In 1983 she was featured in Yankee Magazine for her Italian all-seafood Christmas Eve celebration, complete with countless traditional cookies. The piece was reprised in the magazine's best-of articles of that decade. Her recipes also appeared in popular cookbooks highlighting Italian cuisine. She was a member of the Women's Guild at Holly Angels Church in Barrington and was an enthusiastic gardener. She is survived by children, Gerardo, Madelyne, Margaret; daughter- and son-in-laws, Liz Cheng, Douglas Cuddeback, Peter Child; grandchildren, Nicholas Codola and Matthew Child; brother,Louis Alfano, sister, Phyllis Figuerida; sister-in-law, Theresa Codola; and many nieces, nephews and extended family and friends. In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Anthony and Louis Alfano and a sister, Rose Camera. Funeral services from the Sansone Funeral Home, 192 Wood Street, Bristol Tuesday at 9:00 AM with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 AMin Holy Angel's Church, 341 Maple Avenue, Barrington. Burial will be private. Visiting hours Monday from 4:00 - 6:00 PM. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donors choice. As sad and shocked as we are by the suddenness of Marys death and wished she could have been with us longer, we now celebrate a life lived well. Entirely devoted to her family, we cannot imagine a better daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, in-law, aunt or friend. Even our friends were devoted fans of this loving woman. Born Friday, August 26, 1927, and raised in Warren, she was the daughter of Francesco and Margaret Alfano, of Naples, Italy, and had six siblings Phyllis, Rose, Anthony, Bill and Louis. She married the love of her life, Pasquale Codola. Together they created a warm, vibrant, loving home and encouraged their children Gerardo, Madelyne and Margaret to follow in their footsteps and preserve the family traditions and values that they lived and loved. The family happily grew to embrace daughter-in-law Liz Cheng and son-in-laws Douglas Cuddeback and Peter Child. Mary opened her home, her heart --and so importantly-- her kitchen to all she met. Life in the Codola household took place in the dining room or around the kitchen table. Everyone who new Mary was astounded by her culinary skill and knowledge. She provided a virtual trip to Italy on a never-ending basis. Every holiday was celebrated with her wonderful dinners, countless delicious cookies, pies and cakes -- prepared and served with her unwavering affection and support. Grandsons Nicholas and Matthew can define every important occasion with something special their grandmother made for them. At Nicholas' last cross-country race, she whispered to Gerry, “I have soup and sauce for Nicky in the car.” How many times did she compel Madelyne and Doug to take home goodies? After returning from the hospital to gather Marys papers, her children found 16 meatballs made for Peter and a refrigerator full of sauce and soup marked with their names. Friend John Leo became a surrogate son and brought to the house professional food writers who fell in love with Mary and her cooking. Thanks to them, Yankee Magazine featured Marys traditional, Italian, all-seafood Chrismas Eve dinner and repeated the article in their best-of-the-decade edition. People from around the country called her about cookie recipes, and she loved it. Spreading her love by sharing her secrets across the country in popular cookbooks was a perfect activity for Mary. Margaret remembers how she would look at another woman's hands and say, 'I wonder home may pies were baked or gardens planted by those hands.' Mary's creativity became manifest in her life as a mother and wife. She made many outfits for her children when they were young, from Easter coats to Christmas dresses, and always made sure family members looked their best. This impulse included making clothing for her daughters' Barbie dolls. No doubt this was the inspiration for Margaret pursuing a career in apparel design. Margaret recalls, 'When I had my first critique at RISD, she stayed up all night with me to sew. When I told her that I didnt want to go to the crit, she said, 'Youd better -- I never went to college, and I didn't stay up all night for nothing.' Mary also loved gardening and enjoyed adding new species, moving them around the yard to find the perfect spot. Enormously curious, she would type philosophy papers for Gerry and would debate him on his premises. She traveled around the world with her family, visiting Europe five times. Keeping up with grandson Nicholas, she climbed hundreds of steps into cathedrals, museums and monuments. Ever entertaining, she once mistakenly marched into a perfume shop in Sorrento, Italy, asked for lemoncello liquor in Italian and when the confused shopkeeper produced a small vial of lemon perfume, Mary drank it. Amazed, the shopkeeper understood the misunderstanding and pointed next door to the liquor store. Gerry thinks that “caregiver” is probably the best word to describe her. In terms of the word 'care,“ Mary compassionately cared for all in her family. She personally took care of her ailing mother for eight years at home and later, her husband who was dependent upon her during a long, difficult illness. She made sure her mother and Pat never missed a beat of family life and that her childrens lives went on seamlessly. She took joyous care of both her grandsons Nicholas and Matthew. After three months of maternity leave, Liz was able to go back to work knowing that Nicholas would have Grandma, Grandpa and Auntie Margaret to watch over him. One day while arriving to pick him up, she found a three-year-old Nicky scampering around the corner with pink curlers in his hair. Often Grandma would crawl under the dining room table to engage Nick in a swordfight. When Matthew visited, she would pretend she didnt seem him sneak sweets out of the counter canisters. Matthew feels fortunate he could live with his grandmother and “could take her places.” As a 'giver,' Mary freely gave her honest opinions and backed them up with a willingness to help. For people she just met, she would frequently surprise them with birthday cards or shower gifts. So many people were included in her extended family. Gerry, Madelyne and Margaret talked to her daily; Madelyne and Douglas were with her every Sunday. If Mary wasn't cooking, then Douglas would take a turn. Mary would always say, “Liz is such a wonderful daughter-in-law,” and Liz would reply, “Its not me. Its because Mary is more like a mother than a mother-in-law.” Margaret, Peter and Matthews devotion to her in the last year and a half cannot be overstated. If it had not been for them, she might have been alone during her final hour. To the end, she lived and loved for others. 59 years ago on March 1stshe brought Gerry home from the hospital, and now on March 1, 2011, we finally bring her home.

Service Information Visitation Monday February 28, 2011 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM Sansone Funeral Home 192 Wood Street Bristol, RI 02809 --> Service Tuesday March 1, 2011 10:00 AM Holy Angels Church Maple Avenue Barrington, RI -->