Obituary of Lili Maggi

Lili Miglietta Maggi, a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died peacefully in her sleep on Feb. 9, 2015, surrounded by her family. She was 100. Lili was born in 1914 on Front Street in Hartford, in a building where vaudeville star Sophie Tucker once lived—a fact she would occasionally mention with pride. At the age of three, Lili moved to Glastonbury when her father Giuseppe Miglietta bought the Hollister farm. She attended the two-room Wassac School, later graduating from Glastonbury High School when she was 16. Lili attended trade school in Hartford, but went to work for her family after they opened the Villa Maria restaurant and hotel, named after her mother Maria. Lili married John Charles Maggi in 1944, and her son Joseph was born the next year. The couple together managed the Villa Maria, now the Glastonbury Hills Country Club, for about six years. The Italian restaurant was best known locally for three specialties: ravioli, baked stuffed lobster and, perhaps unexpectedly, fried chicken. For decades, Lili, a gifted cook, would prepare meals of Piedmontese-style food for her family, cooking a regular Sunday afternoon dinner. In 1951, she went to work at J.B. Williams Company. After the Glastonbury factory closed, she worked as an inspector at Quality Name Plate for more than 25 years, retiring at 65. She was active in the Altar Guild at St. Augustine's Church in South Glastonbury and was a founding member and longtime officer of the Emblem Club. Lili was dedicated to her three granddaughters, who called her "Grammy." Both before and after retirement, she traveled with her husband, and later with friends and in group tours. She took up tai chi at Glastonbury Senior Center and continued driving until 93. In her last years, she delighted in her great-grandchildren. She outlived many relatives, including her parents and husband, John, who died in 1981. She was also predeceased by brothers Irvin Miglietta and Peter Miglietta, along with a close cousin, Ray Gambarotta. She is survived by her son, Joseph Maggi and his wife, Chris Ardery, as well as her granddaughters and their husbands: Laura Maggi and Michael Kunzelman, Jill Maggi Brahm and Nate Brahm, and Leigh Maggi Callaghan and Brian Joseph Callaghan. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren: Teagan, Lili, Avery, Chloe, Drew and Augie. The family thanks Violetta for her loving care of Lili for more than four years. Funeral services will start from Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave., Saturday, February 14, 2015 at 9:00am, A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:00am in Saint Augustine Church, 55 Hopewell Rd., South Glastonbury. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Hartford Healthcare at Home, 103 Woodland St. #1, Hartford, CT 06105. For online condolences, please visit www.mulryanfh.com