Josephine DaMommio
July 27th 1916 - February 11th 2011

Mrs. Josephine DaMommio, 94, of Richardson, Texas passed away February 11th, 2011 surrounded by her loving family. She was preceded in death by her husband Sammy DaMommio and survived by her brother Louis Tinnerello and her six children, Sam, Diana, Mike, Neal, Victor and John. A rosary will be held at the Funeral Home Chapel of Cavalry Hill Funeral Home located at 3235 Lombardy Lane on Monday, February 14th at 7:00 p.m. with viewing allowed between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m. The funeral service is in the North Chapel of Cavalry Hill and is the following day Tuesday, February 15th at 10:30 a.m.

Josephine Tinnerello was born July 27, 1916 in Dallas, Texas. Her mother's name was Mary Foster Tinnerello (Originally Fostere) and her father's name was Luke Tinnerello. She had eight brothers and sisters.

Josephine excelled in school and was offered a scholarship at Ursuline Academy but her father did not allow her to continue her education. As a young woman she was very active socially and was constantly involved with both family and friends. She was lively, friendly and loved. Her mother called Josephine her angel because of her willingness to put others before herself.

She married Sammy DaMommio on September 12th, 1942 and had a miscarriage, a child that was stillborn, a boy, a girl and then four more boys. The story she told of the miscarriage is she was feeling so good during her pregnancy she jumped down the last few stairs at her mother's house landing with a thump. Her mother immediately asked about the noise and when Josephine told her gasped and asked her if she was crazy. She miscarried the same day. John, her last son, was a breech birth. She was forty-three when John was born and years later her doctor talked to me about her calm when they realized the baby was facing the wrong direction. He was still amazed.

Mother stopped driving a car as soon as John was old enough to drive and walked everywhere. She walked to her sister Marie's house every day for months caring for Marie in the last days of her life. She was there holding her hand the day Marie died.

Faith defined my mother's life. Faith colored her judgment, guided her decision making and influenced everything she did. The same Faith gave her the ability to live her life with her own brand of strength and love.

Mother rarely displayed emotion but she always made her children feel she had faith in them. Faith we could do what we set out to do, faith we would act responsibly and keep ourselves and the people we loved safe and faith we would make something of ourselves. Is there anything more important a mother could do?

In an odd way mother seemed to come alive and return to her youth when she started losing her memory. She suddenly became constantly sunny and happy to see and talk to anyone. When we checked her in to Village of Richardson she started whistling a show tune for the woman who was checking her in. The woman stopped everything and sat there listening to mother whistle. She was very taken with Mom and looked at me as if she had just opened a fabulous present. As the years went on this scenario played itself out with staff member after staff member. They all loved Mother.

Living without mind or memory is the fate of an Alzheimer victim and the last of Mother's life would have been much less without the constant support of Sam DaMommio, John DaMommio, Diana Leroy, Teresa Leroy, Liane DaMommio, Mia DaMommio and Luke DaMommio along with the caring staff of Village At Richardson especially Daisy, Erica, Bradley and Fabian. We would also like to thank our special social worker Kim. These people all deserve unending praise.