BarbaraAnne (Cortese) Frazzetta, of Bristol, gently passed at Gregory Wing of St. Andrews Hospital in Boothbay Harbor. It had been 14 years since an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and she managed her life from that moment on with exquisite grace and humor.
She was born in July of 1941 and was raised in Bridgeport, Conn. attending local schools and college. Her studies and talent with numbers led to a long career as a key sales administrator for a technical firm in Milford, Conn.
Married to Vincent Frazzetta in 1962, BarbaraAnne had two children, Andrew and Maria. She became part of the peace movement and women’s movement of that day, and beyond. She kept a good house, and made a premier Italian sauce, an art she taught to her husband, children and grandchildren.
Barbara’s passions for music took her to the Met in New York City for opera, and Las Vegas for Barry Manilow. Barbara had a flair for the stage, and acted in, and stage-managed local theater companies in Connecticut. She loved to travel, enjoying trips with her family to New York City, Quebec, the beaches of North Carolina, and a memorable cross country journey with her husband and granddaughter.
BarbaraAnne cherished her 10 years living in New Mexico, marveling at Pueblo ceremonies, and driving the high desert with a thermos of margaritas at hand. Diagnosed in Albuquerque, she participated in two dementia studies there, and four more clinicals at Yale when she returned east.
Besides her love, Barbara’s sweetest legacy will be her quilts. She painstakingly made a special hand-stitched quilt for each of her family members. She made a number of quilts for local charities, with the hope that others would benefit from her work. Even after her diagnosis with Alzheimer’s, Barbara refused to give up her passion, and quilted long after anyone thought possible.
In her final year, Barbara lived in blessed comfort in the caring hands of Gregory Wing, St. Andrews, Boothbay Harbor.
BarbaraAnne was predeceased by her mother, Anna Cortese, and son-in-law, David C. Dodge.
BarbaraAnne is survived by her husband, Vincent Frazzetta; son, Andrew Frazzetta and wife Tracey; daughter, Maria Quintano and husband Dr. Bob Quintano; cherished grandchildren, Justina Dodge Bilodeau and husband Jay, and Sabryna and Anthony Frazzetta; and sisters, Ramona Cortese and Carolyn Gallagher, both of Connecticut, and Concetta Berne of Florida.
Notes or cards to BarbaraAnne may be sent to her husband at 406 Ledgewood Court, Damariscotta, ME 04543. They will be opened and read at a graveside memorial to be held one pleasant day in October.
Strong-Hancock Funeral Home will arrange for cremation, and Barbara will be interred next to her beloved mother in West Haven, Conn.
