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Florence Cucchiara
Florence Cucchiara of Cape Coral, Florida, formerly of Riverhead, died in Florida on Friday, March 9. She was 91.
Born on June 19, 1920, in Chester, Pennsylvania, to Joseph and Xaverina Klarcewicz Osinski, she was raised in Brooklyn as one of eight children: Michael, Piotr, Natalie, Jean, Helen, Alfred and Eddie. On September 28, 1940, she married the love of her life, Lt. Mario Victor Cucchiara, who was a member of the New York Police Department, and moved to Riverhead.
She was very competitive and a great all around athlete, having many first places in running, ping pong, tennis, diving and Judo. She had a black belt in judo, teaching the art for many years for free to children of all ages in various areas of Suffolk County. Though she was almost completely deaf, Ms. Cucchiara was an excellent mandolin player and played for a Russian orchestra in New York City. To Ms. Cucchiara there were no strangers—everyone was always welcome in her home. Her life mission was to help others. She found her faith when she was in her early teens during a summer church camp run by a storefront mission in the Bowery district of New York.
She is survived by her husband of 71 years, Mario Cucchiara; five children, Matteo Cucchiara, Exenia Pirrone, Alfred Cucchiara, Colleen Flick and Melody Galka; siblings, Alfred and Jean; 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren scattered throughout the United States.
A memorial service took place on Tuesday, March 20, at the Coral Ridge Funeral Home in Florida; Pastor Bob Carlson officiated. Interment followed at Coral Ridge Cemetery.
Memorial donations to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Literature For The Blind, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201, www.billygraham.org, would be appreciated by the family.
on Mar 27, 2012