In Memory of

Vittoria

Malvaso

(Caruso)

Obituary for Vittoria Malvaso (Caruso)

Malvaso, Vittoria (Caruso)
Gates: Wednesday, December 12, 2018. Predeceased by her husband, Mario Malvaso; brother, Michele; sisters, Lucia, Antonietta, Lidia, Nina and Iolanda. She is survived by her children, John (Maureen) Malvaso, Frank (Vickie) Malvaso, Dr. Rita (Ed) Hancock of OK; grandchildren, Christopher (Alissa) Malvaso, Amanda Malvaso, Patrick (Natty) Malvaso, Nicholas (Jennifer) Malvaso; Lindsey and Cory Hancock; three great grandchildren; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Frank and Peggy Malvaso; many nieces and nephews. Mrs. Malvaso was a dress designer and an expert seamstress.
Friends may call SUNDAY from 2-5PM at the DiPonzio Funeral Home, Inc., 219 Spencerport Rd., Gates. On Monday, December 17, all are invited to attend her Funeral Mass at 10:00AM in Holy Ghost Church, 220 Coldwater Rd. Interment, Holy Ghost Cemetery.
Vittoria Malvaso was born on August 12, 1926, and passed away on Wednesday, December 12, 2018. Vittoria and her husband of 48 years, Mario, were long-time residents of Gates, NY, residing near their son, Frank and daughter-in-law, Vickie. In Vittoria's later years, she moved to Canandaigua, NY, to be near her eldest son, John, and daughter-in-law, Maureen. Vittoria often travelled out-of-state to visit with her daughter, Rita and son-in-law, Ed. Vittoria also greatly enjoyed spending time with her six grandchildren, Patrick, Nick, Chris, Amanda, Lindsey, and Cory, as well as her great-grandchildren.

Vittoria's early years were noteworthy. She was born in a rustic, mountaintop town in southern Italy. Vittoria was one of eight children born to Maria and Francesco Caruso, with the youngest baby, a boy, not surviving past infancy. Her home town, Pisticci, was a rustic place, where the streets were made of cobblestone, the homes were typically in the form of white plaster row houses, and where electricity and hot, running water were relatively late additions. Vittoria's mother, Maria, was known as the town medic, often administering medications to sick neighbors, and her father, Francesco, was a respected carpenter. Not long after World War II, Vittoria began communicating by mail with the man in the United States, Mario, who would become her husband. In 1950, Mario traveled to Italy on a prop-plane for 26 hours over the Atlantic ocean to meet his love interest in person, and the couple was married a month later in Pisticci. Due to post-WWII immigration issues, Vittoria was forced to remain in Italy for an additional year before she was able to join her new husband in the United States. Vittoria was a brave woman. During her voyage to the United States in 1951, she traveled alone on a large passenger ship for almost a week, awaiting arrival to a country where she knew only her husband and was unfamiliar with the language. After a few years in the US, Vittoria entered into what she said was the most rewarding part of her life: motherhood. She gave birth to John in 1955, Frank in 1957, and Rita in 1965. Though motherhood and home-making occupied much of her young adulthood, Vittoria also worked outside the home, first as a seamstress with the Michael Stern Company, later at Kroll's, and, finally, at the Bonds Clothing Company. In the 1970's, Vittoria became "hip," getting a driver's license, taking up smoking (temporarily), and designing and sewing brightly-colored psychedelic dresses with choker collars. During her years in the US, Vittoria and Mario visited frequently with her brother Michele and sisters Nina and Iolanda and their families, who resided in Toronto, Canada. Vittoria was dearly loved by her family and friends and will be missed greatly.