Marie Grace Casciano

MARIE GRACE CASCIANO
August 4, 1911 - January 22, 2013

Marie Grace Casciano--known as “The Fairy Godmother” because of her lifelong devotion to children--passed away in Huntington Beach Tuesday, January 22, at age 101. Born in Brooklyn, New York, the third child of Joseph and Nunziata Zambito, she outlived her four siblings (Raymond, who passed at age three, Susan, Raymond, and Joseph), her beloved son, Frank A. Barbera, as well as her first husband, Anthony Barbera, and her second, Joseph Casciano, widowed by both.

She was the most agreeable and sweetest of ladies, never uttering an unkind word. For many years she enjoyed the activities at Michael E. Rodgers Senior Center in Huntington Beach, participating in Bingo, savoring luncheons with friends, and acting as their Librarian. She was greatly loved by her daughter, Veronica, her son-in-law, Victor, and her granddaughter, Vanessa, whom she adored. Just before her short illness, she was thrilled to learn of Vanessa’s marriage to her high-school sweetheart, David. Her nephew, Dr. Frank, his wife Kelly and their family, and her long-time caregiver, Amber, mourn Marie’s passage. She will be missed, but lives forever in their hearts.

A private viewing was held in Huntington Beach at Heritage-Dilday on Friday, January 25, directly followed by a service with dove release at Good Shepherd Cemetery. A festive celebration of her life is being planned for Spring, 2013, at Rodgers Senior Center, an institution that brought her so much happiness. Everyone she touched fell in love with her. That legacy lives on in the lives of those who were lucky enough to know and cherish her.