Anne Venezia

We all knew and loved Anne. She was truly special. She was a beloved daughter, mother, sister, cousin, grandmother, great grandmother, and wife to her late husband Rocco.

•Born Anne LaRocca in New York in 1930

•Typical of children of immigrants of her generation.

•Grew up during the Depression, very much working class.

•She worked for many years as a bookkeeper.

•She was close to her extended family, including her sister Francis.

Her desire not to burden others and her upbeat and happy demeanor may have made one think she had it easy. While Anne lived a long life, it would not be fair to call it an easy life.

•Her childhood was difficult and sometimes unstable. They were very poor.

•Her brother Tony died young in the 1950s.

•She struggled as a single mom at a time when this was particularly challenging.

•When my mom was still a young girl, she did find real love and had a long marriage to Rocco Venezia to whom she was very devoted.

•But after over 40 years together, she had to live over 14 years as a widow.

•And despite her long life, she suffered from a number of challenging health problems, starting in the late 1960s, which became particularly burdensome in the last few years.

One might look at these circumstances and imagine that it would break someone, as these things often leave others downtrodden and cynical and self-pitying. But no one would ever describe Anne this way.

Because, above all, Anne Venezia was a Roman Catholic. It was the most important defining characteristic of her life.

•She lived it and practiced it after her conversion in her 20s.

•Home looked like a shrine; even her license plate “Rosary 1”

•Always giving prayer cards, books, and religious gifts.

•She has a particular devotion to the blessed mother, which led her to become a 3rd Order Carmelite

•Active in church until her later years, including in the choir.

•Trip to Medjugorie

•Ceaseless prayers for all of us, prayers which continue today. We used to joke when she was with us that she was “going to go straight to heaven.”

I commend my parents for their devotion to her during her last difficult years. When someone is old and sick the struggles of their last days bring us anguish. And when someone dies, the finality of it causes us a great deal of pain in all circumstances.

We would love to talk to them again, hold them again, give them another hug and a kiss or share a laugh. We wonder about the meaning of life.

One thing grandmother never had any doubts about was the meaning of life. Because of her strong faith, she knew her purpose—the purpose of everyone—which is to know and to love and to serve God. She frequently said that even her suffering fulfilled God’s purposes, as it was united with the suffering of Jesus on the Cross.

Grandma knew that her earthly life was a shadow of our supernatural life. Today she has the great blessing of seeing God face to face and being perfected by him.

We love her. We miss her. We pray for her. We honor her body today and provide her a Christian burial because we believe in the resurrection of the body.

And we ask today for her prayers, because we believe also in the communion of saints. Please pray for us grandma, so we may join you one day in heaven.