Angeline “Judy” (Guidice) Iacoi, 95, passed away peacefully at home, Thursday, February 6, 2020.
Judy was born the fourth of seven children of Gennaro Giudice & Rosa Guidice.
She attended Westerly Public Schools, and married her husband of 38 years, Pasquale Joseph Iacoi on June 7, 1947. Before his death in 1985, they raised a family and worked together in hospitality, most notably at the Narragansett Inn in Watch Hill and the Westerly Elks Club.
As a lifetime member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Westerly, Judy attended daily Mass until recent years. She had a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother. Judy was a lifetime member of the Calabrese Women’s Auxiliary. For thirty years, she kept house during the summers for Bishop Louis Gelineau and the late Bishop Robert Mulvee of the Diocese of Providence at the Diocesan residence, Cardome, in Watch Hill, where she served visiting clergy from parish priests to Vatican officials with grace and dignity.
For many years, Judy worked for the RI school lunch program, retiring from her position at Westerly High School in 1994.
Judy valued her family and spent treasured vacation time on Block Island, a place she loved. She was the grandmother to two cherished grandchildren, Andrew Iacoi, of whom she was immensely proud as he began his career in law enforcement, and Sydney, a senior at Emmanuel College, whom she endowed with a love of baking her specialty cookies and other delicacies.
She was the sole surviving beloved aunt to a host of nieces and nephews in a close-knit extended family of cousins.
In addition to her grandchildren, she is survived by her children, Lawrence (Ann-Marie) of Barrington, Stephen (Michelle) of Westerly, and Barbara, with whom she made her home. Surviving are two siblings, Reverend Francis J. Giudice of Smithfield, and John Guidice of Westerly. She was predeceased by her siblings, Helen Guidice, Santa Aldrich, Samuel, and James.
No one left Judy Iacoi’s house without a good dose of love and food, combined with warmth and kindness. She embodied the goodness and strength of countless first-generation Italian-American women of Westerly who raised families, worked hard, and consistently put others before themselves. In doing so, she was a guardian of the many traditions and values of faith, family, and food.
Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday from 4-7pm at Gaffney-Dolan Funeral Home, 59 Spruce St., Westerly. Relatives and friends are also invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 11am on Wednesday at Immaculate Conception Church, 111 High St., Westerly. There is no procession from the funeral home to church. Burial will follow at St. Sebastian Cemetery, Westerly. For online condolences please visit www.gaffneydolanfuneralhome.com
Please make donations in Judy’s memory to the Saint Vincent DePaul Society, PO Box 1014, Westerly, RI 02891.