Pauline J. Marcucci

Pauline (Polly) Jean Munafo Marcucci, 84, of Newport, died at Newport Hospital on Saturday, July 8, 2017 after a short illness. Polly was born in Newport on August 27, 1932. She was the daughter of Paul T. Munafo and Genevieve (Jean) Kunz Munafo. She was the wife of Ettore (Hector) G. Marcucci who died in November 2015. They were married for 65 years.She is survived by her four children: Terri (Michael) Fitch of Newport, Cheryl (Arthur) Maine of Wakefield, Polly Hadfield of Freehold, NJ, and Paul Marcucci of Fall River, MA, and by her brother Domenic (Patricia) Munafo of Jamestown. She was predeceased by her brother James (Andrea) Munafo of Horizon City, TX. She also leaves four grandchildren, Timothy Maine of Wakefield, Catherine (William) Khoe of Palmer, AK, Eric (Jaskamal) Fournier of Cimarron, KS, and Christina (Matthew) LookFong of Waterloo, IL, and five great-grandchildren: Anthony Maine, Hailey Maine, Mason Fournier, Ayden Fournier, and Samuel LookFong. She was anticipating the September arrival of her 6th great-grandchild, Lauren LookFong. She also leaves her sisters-in-law, Monica (Lincourt) Marcucci and Andrea Munafo, dear friends, Marjorie Jensen and Brenda Shore, and a great many loving nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was blessed with a large extended family to include the Munafos of Boston, MA and the Laurenzanos of Beverly, MA and many second, third, and fourth generation cousins.Polly attended school at St. Catherine's Academy. Early on she learned bookkeeping at Bacon McLeish. She worked as a receptionist for Daniel Sullivan, DDS, for many years. Later, she worked for Lynne Spingler at Kitchen Pot Pourri. And, in her later years, she loved working at The Marble House. There, her ability to connect with people and her natural sense of hospitality were put to good use. She helped her husband run his businesses, Columbus Baking Co, Inc. and Marcucci's Submarine Sandwich Shops.She was a resident of Newport until several months ago when she moved to Blenheim in Middletown. She, and her husband, had made their home on Harrison Lane for more than 50 years. She was an outstanding friend to her "Lunch Bunch" and to a wide circle of Florida friends at Lazy River Village. Polly especially loved spending time with her extended family - her father's Munafo family in Boston, and her husband's Laurenzano family in Beverly, MA. Polly was an excellent seamstress who made beautiful clothing for her children. She was a natural interior decorator with an eye for good lines and classic style. She thoroughly enjoyed event planning. As the Queen Mother of the North Port, FL, Red Hat Society, she organized several memorable events including teas, bus trips, and fashion shows. She held family reunions, countless birthday parties, wedding receptions, baby showers - even a luau - and many more dinners and gatherings for friends and relatives. Above all, she was a gifted cook and mastered the art of the "light hand." She collected recipes and cookbooks - and read them as most would read a novel. She enjoyed golfing, decoupage, water colors, ceramics and took French and Japanese cooking classes. She was generous with her time and talents - always willing to lend her creativity and organizing skills to family and friends. She was especially kind and welcoming to her children's friends, including them in family outings and cooking extra for Sunday dinner to be sure she had leftovers to share with them. She worked hard to give her children a sense of self-worth. Her favorite piece of advice to them was: "Always be your own best friend." Polly was always a working mother - but found time to take her children (and their friends) on countless outings including Fenway Park, La Salette, Lincoln Park, Sturbridge Village - and one memorable and miserable trip to Block Island where most of the children were seasick. She was movie-star beautiful for her entire life. She was also shy (although she took great care to hide this) and sweet. She was witty and intelligent and could tell a hilarious story like no one else. Her family and friends loved her dearly and will miss her forever.Your Mother is always with you. She lives inside your laughter. She is the place you came from, your first home, and she is the map you follow with every step you take. She is your first love, your first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space, not even death.In lieu of calling hours, a combined memorial service and visitation will be held Saturday, July 22, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at Emmanuel Church, 42 Dearborn St, Newport, RI. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in her memory be made to the charity of your choice. Condolences and additional information can be found at memorialfuneralhome.com Mass JUL 22. 10:00 AM Emmanuel Church Newport, RI, US, 02840 42 dearborn street