Marie Gloria (Castagneto) DiFazio

Marie G. DiFazio (Castagneto), fondly known as “Gloria” to her family and friends, age 95, a long-time resident of Tewksbury, passed away peacefully on August 8, 2022.

Gloria was born in Somerville, MA, on January 27, 1927; she was the dear daughter of the late Victor and Albina Castagneto.  Gloria was raised and educated in Somerville.
She married her beloved Gaetano DiFazio; the couple raised four wonderful children and lived in Somerville for several years before making their home in Tewksbury.

Gloria’s family was her world; she was a very devoted and loving wife, mother and grandmother.  She made a wonderful home, and her door was always open for family and friends.  Gloria spent many years taking care of her grandchildren whom she adored; she enjoyed walking them to Silver Lake and playing with them on the beach. 

Gloria was an amazing cook and baker; she was famous for her meatballs and Sunday dinners.  Following her blueberry picking excursions, she made countless blueberry pies throughout the years for all to enjoy.

Gloria was full of life and full of energy; she was always on the go and walked everywhere.  She was always caring for everyone, family, friends and neighbors; she was kind and generous to everyone she met.  Gloria was the first to help out anyone who was sick; she made sure they were fed, had what they needed and were greatly cared for.

Gloria was a woman of great faith and an active parishioner at St. Dorothy’s Church for many years.

In her spare time, Gloria enjoyed going to bingo or head out to an occasional casino just to “try her luck”.

Gloria will be fondly remembered as a beautiful lady inside and out; she had a heart of gold and was truly and angel on earth to her family and friends.  She touched so many hearts throughout her life and will forever be missed by all.

Gloria was the beloved wife of the late Gaetano DiFazio, devoted mother of Anthony DiFazio & his late wife Pat of Seabrook, NH, Rosemarie Hewitt & her husband Charles of Dracut, Angela Zengilowski & her husband John of Virginia Beach, VA and Marie Longo & her husband William of Wilmington.  Loving Nana of Joseph and Anthony DiFazio, Denise & Stephen Sencabaugh, Michael Hewitt & Stacy Timmons, Gena & Russell Dukett, David Hewitt & Denise Dube, Lynne & Chad Bornstein, Michelle & Jeff Hinkle, Leanne & Matthew Overstreet, Amanda & Travis Sawyer, Cassandra Longo, Great-Nana of Russell, Emily, Nikole, Heather, Jeremy, Gregory, Sophia, Evan, Zachary, Harper, Reece, Dexter, Marshall, Maxwell, Josephine and her two great-grandbabies who are God’s angels in heaven, Great-Great Nana of Cameron, Mackenzie, Charleigh Rose, Destiny and Aiden.  Cherished daughter of the late Victor and Albina (Barbari) Castagneto and the last of seven siblings.  Gloria was the dear aunt of Anthony Travers of Arlington and is further survived by many nieces and nephews.

Marie's family would like to send out a heartfelt thank you to the staff at Bayberry Assisted Living in Tewksbury for the kindness and excellent care that was given to Gloria these past several years.

Family and friends will gather at the Nichols Funeral Home, 187 Middlesex Ave. (Rte. 62), Wilmington, MA, on Saturday, August 13th at 9:00 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Dorothy’s Church, Main St. (Rte. 38) Wilmington, at 10:00 a.m.  Interment St. Mary’s Cemetery, Tewksbury, MA.  Visiting Hours will be held at the Funeral Home on Friday, August 12th from 5:00-8:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Gloria’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 309 Waverley Oaks, Road, Waltham, MA  02452 or to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 465 Waverley Oaks Road, Suite 202, Waltham, MA  02452.

To leave a message of condolence to Gloria’s family please visit our website at www.nicholsfuneralhome.com.