Anna Ferri
Obituary Reports the death of an individual, providing an account of the person’s life including their achievements, any controversies in which they were involved, and reminiscences by people who knew them.
Anna Ferri passed away peacefully on Friday, Aug. 26, surrounded by loved ones at her home in Yorktown Heights. She was 91 years old.
Anna was born in Sora, Italy, to the late Antonio and Restituta. Shortly after World War II, Anna, her sister and mother immigrated to America to join her father, arriving through Ellis Island. Anna immersed herself in the American culture by taking English classes at night after working as a seamstress during the day.
On Oct. 18, 1953, Anna married Serafino “Sam” Ferri and was married for 66 years. They started their lives together in Queens. In 1969, they moved to Yorktown Heights where they raised their five children and remained there until both of their passings.
Anna is survived by her five children, Rose (Peter) Connolly and Denise (Sabino) Martinelli of Ossining, Stephen (Susanne) Ferri of Yorktown Heights and Angelo (Kathy) Ferri and Anthony (Adrienne) Ferri of Cortlandt Manor, as well as her 13 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and her sister, Maria Ljubicich, of Flushing. Anna was predeceased by her husband, Sam Ferri, and her grandson, Matthew Ferri.
Anna devoted her life to her growing family. She was an exceptional cook and the best memories were of her making pasta with her many loved ones. She would spend hours making gnocchi or ravioli on a Saturday morning and the reward for her was eating the final product at dinner with her large family. Not to be outdone by her cooking, Anna was an equally skilled baker. Anyone who came by could always count on cookies to come out of the cabinet to enjoy.
Every August, Anna and her husband would make hundreds of jars of tomato sauce with the help of their children and grandchildren. It was always during the hottest days in August, which led to everyone complaining about the heat and having boiling sauce splash on them. It was those memories that will be forever cherished by all who experienced them.
Anna’s face would always light up when her great-grandchildren came over to see “Nonna.” She loved watching her family grow. The words of wisdom from Anna were to have an endless amount of love for family and to let little things go. Anna will be dearly missed but her memory will live on through her family and with the passing down of stories and recipes.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Patrick’s Church or Northwell Health Hospice Care in Westchester and Putnam.
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