Lucia Odorico

PHILLIPSBURG/LONG ISLAND/BONITA SPRINGS/TOMS RIVER/MADISON-Lucia Odorico, age 89, of Madison, passed away on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, at Attic Angel Health Center. She was born on April 28, 1928, in Phillipsburg, NJ, the daughter of Alderico and Adelina (Falcone) Cascioli. Lucia was trained as a Surgical Registered Nurse at Bellevue School of Nursing in New York City and graduated in 1948. She was married to John M. Odorico on her birthday in 1951. She worked as a Surgical Nurse in General and Orthopedic Surgery at Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre, Long Island for many years of her adult life and found great reward in helping patients in need of surgery and skeletal rehabilitation. She is survived by her brother, Dino, (Bradenton, FL), two daughters, Alice (New York, NY) and Kia (Mercer Island, WA); and a son, Jon (Madison, WI); grandchildren, Claire Odorico, Scott Odorico , Kristen Odorico, Alex Himstead and Trevor Himstead. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, John M. Odorico, and her sister Roma Kilik. Lucia was a devoted wife. She helped him with his M.B.A. by typing his papers, with his work at IBM by helping him with his speeches and slide presentations, and later in life she helped him recover and rehabilitate after his hip replacement. She and John celebrated their 40th, 50th, and 60th wedding anniversary with family and friends. We surprised her for her 40th anniversary–she hated surprises. So when her 50th rolled around, all her children and grandchildren helped her celebrate at The Greenbriar in West Virginia.  Lucia and John loved to travel. Without children, they traveled to Europe, including Paris and Italy, Chile, Alaska, Palm Springs, Hawaii, Cancun, and a cruise down the Danube from Vienna to Istanbul. With children, they traveled to San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon, Hilton Head, Montreal, Ottowa, Quebec, Lake Tahoe, Disneyland and Universal Studies, and Cape Cod on numerous summer family vacations. We had a memorable family trip to Europe in the summer of 1971 when we spent the summer in Nice, Provence, and Mâcon, France visiting relatives; driving through the Alps of Austria, Lichtenstein, and Switzerland; followed by visits to Venice and relatives in Sequals, Italy. While she was not much for directions or navigating, Lucia thoroughly enjoyed exposing her children to new experiences and relished soaking up the stunning beauty of nature and historical architecture.  Lucia loved cooking and had true Italian talents. She made the best lasagna her children have ever tasted, which fortunately for her son, her daughter-in-law can duplicate based on Lucia’s teachings in the kitchen. As good as her lasagna was, her bruschetta was even better–it was world class, a recipe that many friends have asked for and has been passed down to a younger generation of Odorico’s. One of her husband’s favorite recipes was veal or chicken cutlets, a meal that her grandchildren also gobble up. Another top-notch recipe was her chicken cacciatore, which she learned from her mother. Her chocolate Bundt cake and cheese cake were other favorites. Many of her recipes made it into a cookbook produced by the Art League of Bonita Springs, entitled “The Artist’s Palate.” Mouth-watering and full of flavor, all of her meals drew family and friends to the dinner table for many memorable holiday meals. Lucia found real enjoyment in gardening. Throughout her life, she always appreciated the beauty of nature and promoted this appreciation and knowledge to her children. Finding teachable moments, she frequently named all the birds, plants, and flowers that she and her children passed during their walks. In all of her homes, the outdoors and indoors were always decorated with flowers. She loved to spend the day puttering in the garden, planting this and moving that. Later in life, she and John cultivated Dahlia’s in the backyard of their Long Island, NY home and showed some award-winning specimens at local Dahlia shows. Her keen appreciation of flowers and nature also extended to painting.  Lucia produced and showed many paintings. She preferred acrylic and watercolor media but also drew in pastels and crayons. Her subjects were nature, flowers, birds, still lifes, and children. She found solace and peace in painting. Her love of art extended beyond painting. A favorite outing in New York City was a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to see a special exhibit or just stroll through the permanent collections. She took delight in sharing an appreciation of great art with her children, an aesthetic she cultivated in them. It is safe to say they absorbed this far more than her husband did! With her husband and numerous friends in New Jersey and Florida, she enjoyed playing golf all year round. When she was pregnant with her children, she continued to play at the IBM Country Club on Long Island, to which she attributes the golfing skill developed by some of her children. She enjoyed the many rounds of golf she played with her children. Her golf trips included those to Hilton Head, Palm Springs, and Hawaii. Exposing her grandchildren to golf became a priority later in life. Many life-long friendships began and flourished based on a mutual love of the game. Lucia spent a large part of her adult productive years as Surgical Nurse at Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre, Long Island. She cared for thousands of patients undergoing general and orthopedic surgery operations during those years. She was dedicated in her work, was demanding of excellence in herself and saw the merits of life-long learning. Her colleagues considered her a highly valued asset to their surgical team and her patients benefited greatly from her compassionate and skilled care. Her work stories provided interesting dinner conversations. While her son treasured these operating room stories full of anatomy and pathology tales, all other family members disdained them!   In addition to her work and raising a family, Lucia became an Interior Decorator, took piano and dance lessons, learned how to upholster furniture, studied French, and did costume design and creation for amateur theater produced at the old Herricks High School. She was curious and sought enrichment in a wide range of activities. Lucia’s last decade was scarred by a struggle with Alzheimer’s dementia and the last four years were spent in the community of All Saints Memory Care Assisted Living Facility in Madison. She was fortunate to have had wonderful care and attention there. Her friends there, including Jessica, Heidi, Stella, Nikesha and many others, were a joy to her during her final years. Lucia enjoyed many outings, music, and holiday events at All Saints, supported by the compassionate staff. Her time there afforded her children and grandchildren the opportunity to spend precious time with her during her final years. A Memorial service will be held at GUNDERSON FITCHBURG FUNERAL HOME, 2950 Chapel Valley Rd, Madison, at 1 p.m., on Saturday Sept. 30, 2017. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from noon until the time of the service on Saturday. Donations In Memorium will be graciously accepted in Lucia’s name to either All Saints Memory Care or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. *Checks made out to “All Saints” or the “Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation” may be mailed to Jon S. Odorico, 5228 Old Indian Trail, Fitchburg, WI 53711. Checks will be hand delivered to these organizations on your behalf. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.