Mary Frances Cersosimo Ripolone took her final trip on Friday, November 23rd, Mary with green suitcase in hand headed to “California.” She was born December 7, 1921 to Dominic and Frances Cersosimo into a very large family that only got larger as the years passed. Mary was one of 10 children who joined a chorus of beautiful sisters, Catherine (Kay), Rose, Marianne and Frances and was well protected by her band of brothers Lou, Joe, Anthony, Henry, and Ralph. Mary blazed her own trail in her day and was part of the rifle team in school, worked for the Navy during World War II and G. Fox and Company. She would surprise you with her wealth of talents and her sense of humor. She could make slipcovers out of flour sacks, arrange flowers that took your breath away and an artist in her own right with her many painted windows of flowers. Mary married Eugene “Rip” Ripolone on March 3, 1943 and had 5 children - Jean Smith, Jimmy Ripolone, Mary Ann Turner, Carol Person and Mark Ripolone and we can’t forget her three great sons-in-law - Charlie Smith, Ed Turner and Paul Person and her lovely daughter–in-law Denise Ripolone and her adopted daughter (and our sister) Debbie Rutigiliano and her husband Dom.

Married for 45 years living in Windsor Locks for most of it Mary and Rip were known for heating up the dance floor twirling and dipping to their hearts content or hanging out with the neighbors on Greenview Lane -- Zaines, Giampolos, Ramseys where the kids rode bikes, played kick ball in the street or could be found swimming in the backyard pools, under the watchful eye of a neighborhood of parents from each other’s kitchen windows. Every summer Rip and Mary would pack the station wagon and head north to Sanford, Maine and to this day we still are in awe how Mom stuffed that station wagon with two dogs, one guinea pig and Dad’s beloved parrot, Pedro (a story about Pedro that still makes us laugh) not to mention us and our friends for an eight hour trip stopping at Howard Johnson’s for pancakes, and numerous rest stops along the way (and only as we got older and started driving ourselves did we realize it doesn’t take eight hours to get to Sanford, ME). Mom loved to antique shop and Mary Ann got the same bug with one turning into an obsession of Memory Lane dinner plates that Mary Ann has now become the owner of, which can easily serve 100 people. The lobster and clam bakes where an annual event and Paul Person learned first hand how to actually clean clams the hard way, and we will leave it at that.

Mom loved her flowerbeds filled with red and white geraniums and tulips and the rose bush in front of the kitchen window was huge. Mom never needed a bouquet of fancy flowers. She was known for picking wild flowers and a bunch of weeds and arranging them into the most beautiful arrangement. Jean got Mom’s talent for flower arranging and painting, which can best be seen in her home, especially her table settings. All four girls have flowerbeds in their yards and a touch of Mom is hidden in those blooms.

There was no one who could wrap a present as well as Mom. She worked at G Fox for years wrapping presents that would dazzle the present giver and receiver. Mom was crafty - she could whip up a slipcover, curtains quicker than anyone…but Carol has truly taken on this trait more than any of us. Carol some how has learned how to “eye-ball” a piece of fabric and within minutes cushions are transformed. Mom and Carol are known for touting around a sewing machine and the two of them made magic. Mom definitely gave Carol the “crafty” gene.

Mom loved to iron and listen to Dean Martin. It was not unusual to see racks of newly ironed clothes strung in the kitchen when you came home from school and the table cloths; all the Cersosimo girls, and granddaughters possess more than their fair share of tablecloths and dish sets, which are a family tradition or an obsession. As for Dean, well she played those records so often you knew the next song before it even started.

Now cooking was another story, it was not something Mom liked to do but she did make a mean golumpki, ask Mark. Mark had Mom wrapped around his little finger and when her baby put in his order for golumpkies, well that only made this “little Italian” start whipping together enough to feed an army. We all headed home when we got wind she was building golumpkies and the dinner conversation didn’t always suit Mom. From the discussion of worms, or some other gross story Mark would tell, we would be laughing our butts off and Mom would act like she hated it, but we knew she was well in on the jokes and Ripolone banter.
Mom was a wonderful grandmother to Shelley, Jimmy, Chuck, Glenn, Amanda, Ashley, Samantha and Katelynn. Cookies in the stove (remember mom didn’t bake) and little barrel drinks were always waiting for the visits. Sleepovers at Granma’s were a joy with tents, games and special treats you could only get at Granma’s. Mom was a Great Granma to Courtney, Alexandra, Jillian, Glenn Jr, Tyler and Damien she was also a Great, Great Granma to Aiden the newest addition.

Mom and her best friend, Eulaine we’re traveling buddies. Those ladies went everywhere from the Panama Canal to Alaska and all they needed was a deck of cards, some dice and a bottle of wine to make a memory. (Eulaine get the cards ready!). Mom taught all of us dice and 31 and we spent plenty of days and nights playing and trying to win our money back. Mom would head to Florida and visit her sister, Frances, and when Mom, Kay, Nick, John, Frances, and Mary Ann sat in Fran’s kitchen playing hours of 31, those very “proper” ladies where known to throw a few swear words around when the losing started.

Mom had a thing for rocks and on every excursion she picked up a few; Mom never came home from a trip without a rock or two in the back seat or in the suitcase. Debbie was one who would pick up Mom and take her on some special ride for ice cream or a bakery run just so the two of them could hang out on a beautiful day and probably rock hunt.

For all who knew Mom, one thing for sure, she woke up beautiful, hair never out of place and dressed to the nines. We should take note. Mom lived her final years at Bickford Health Care Center in Windsor Locks and was known as “Grandma Mary.” Many of the staff treated our Mom like their Mom and it wasn’t unusual to see Mom dancing in the hall with one of the aids, painting in the rec room or eating her chocolate chip cookies and Mounds bars in her comfy chair. We especially thank Sophie who was very kind to our Mom and we would be remise not to acknowledge many of the people who helped Mom during her time there, but we don’t know everyone’s name. A few are Robin, Chris, Patrice, Jessica, Tracy and Don, who, along with their colleagues, do a very difficult job and we thank them for not only loving our Mom, but putting up with the Ripolone sisters.

Mom, we will miss you dearly but we know you will be raising hell with Dad and Eulaine along with your brothers and sisters. We will do our best to keep the family together. Take care mom – we love you.

Services will be held on Friday, Nov. 30 at 11:30 a.m. at the Browne Memorial Funeral Chapels, 43 Shaker Rd, Enfield. Family and friends may call at the funeral home on Thursday from 4 to 7 pm. Burial will be St. Mary's
Cemetery, WL. Memorial donations in her memory may be made to Bickford Health Care, Habitat Fund, 14 Main St., Windsor Locks, CT 06096.