Obituary for Nina Hazel (Riggles) DeMarco
Nina Hazel (Riggles) Demarco, 88, beloved Mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother, passed away on March 22, 2013 at St. Joseph’s Living Center in Windham. Nina was born on February 24, 1925 in North Windham, the daughter of the late Sylvern Riggles and Nettie (Apt) Riggles and was predeceased by her husband, Nicholas Demarco. Nina grew up in Willimantic and attended Oak and Natchaug elementary schools and graduated from Windham High School in 1943. Some of Nina’s fondest memories were of the times she spent working at the Electro-Motive Manufacturing Company in Willimantic. She began working at the age of 16 as a tester, a stacker, and was eventually promoted to work for the superintendent, Mr. Strand. In 1947, Nina married Nicholas Demarco and had three daughters. She continued to work part-time at Electro-Motive but then chose to stay home full time with her children. In 1967, Nina began her 24 year career at Windham High School. She began as a secretary in the school’s main office and then transferred to the Media Center as a secretary to the Librarian. Nina was involved in the clerical union, negotiating union contracts to improve benefits for clerical staff. She also enjoyed coordinating many retirement luncheons for teachers and administrative staff and loved organizing her high school reunions for many years. After retiring in 1991, she found time to travel around the world and the United States. She was a voracious reader and was interested in a variety of subjects, especially historical novels. Anyone who knew Nina knew that she loved Frank Sinatra and his music. Nina enjoyed spending time with her friends, Irene, Marie and Josie. Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were the love of her life. Our family often teased Mom about her being a constant worrier and she continued to worry about her family until the end. Nina, who was affectionately known as Mom, Grams, and Bammie, was happiest when her family was together. Her children and grandchildren shared a special bond with her throughout the years. In addition to her parents and husband, Nina was predeceased by her brothers Elven and John Riggles; her sisters Margaret Duchesneau, Nancy Johnson, and Sylvia Riggles. She leaves her daughters, Christine Gadarowski and her husband Mark of North Windham, Mary DeMarco of South Windham, Paula Moran and her husband Jack of Wethersfield, her grandsons, Zachary Gadarowski and his wife Erin of West Hartford, Nicholas Doscher of Cranston, Rhode Island, and Vincent Barone of Wethersfield; her granddaughters, Mollie Gadarowski of Middletown, and Madelyn Barone of Wethersfield; and her great-grandsons, Max and Luke Gadarowski of West Hartford. She also leaves three sisters-in-law, Marcella Riggles, Mary Sposato and Antoinette Rondeau and many nieces and nephews.She was much loved by her family and friends. She will be greatly missed. We would like to thank the staff at St. Joseph’s Living Center for the loving care they gave to Nina. Calling hours will be Monday, April 1 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Bacon Funeral Home in Willimantic. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Joseph Church in Willimantic on Tuesday, April 2 at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be private at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be mailed to Windham Free Library, 7 Windham Green Road, Windham, CT 06280. For online condolences, please go to www.baconfh.com.
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