Teresa Angela Di Bacco

Teresa Angela (Pulice) Di Bacco, 88 years old, of Weirton, was called by God while embraced by her loving family in her home on Sunday, December 29, 2019. She was born on January 14, 1931, in Belmonte Calabro, Cosenza, Italy. She was the first-born daughter of the late Francesco and Letizia (Porco) Pulice. She was also preceded in death by her husband Sam Di Bacco, her brothers Nunziato, Domenico, and Giovanni, and her grandson Salvatore. She leaves behind forever heartbroken and empty her family - her daughter Diana and her husband Michael Korth, her son Samuel and his wife Antoinette, and her son Domenico and his wife Gina whom she greatly honored by making her home with them; her grandchildren Alexia, Isabella, and Nadia Korth, Nina Di Bacco, and Sofia-Teresa, Lucia, and Valentina Di Bacco. She is also survived and will be greatly missed by her sister Maria Veltri, sister-in-law Ada Pulice, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews. Teresa was born and lived her entire life with a heart of gold, a red-rose complexion, and a smile and personality that immediately brightened wherever she was. All of these attributes were certainly granted by God in order for her to successfully and selflessly take on a life of incredibly hard work and sacrifice. As the first-born child of her generation on both sides of her family, she had many aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great-grandmother who took her under their wing and carefully taught her the necessary skills of self-sufficiency and resourcefulness during a very difficult and poverty-stricken time period in southern Italy... so much so, that it wasn’t long (around the age of 8) before her father decided that she was ready to take charge of most of the household’s responsibilities. This role went on to define Teresa’s entire life, as she continuously surpassed all expectations. At first, this only included taking care of her three younger brothers and one younger sister; but, as her hard-working family continued to flourish, she, together with her parents and siblings, built the most successful “azienda agricola” (farming business) in their small town at that time. After 30 years of incredibly hard work, their business was prospering more and more, and Teresa, of course, was still in charge. However, there was one thing that Teresa and her family valued far more than their recent prosperity in Italy, and this was – staying together. So, in 1962, when Teresa’s brother Nunziato, who had emigrated to the U.S. almost a decade prior, was finally able to call over the rest of the family, Teresa, her parents and remaining siblings, joyfully left their life in Italy to start anew in Weirton, WV and be forever reunited. Once arrived, Teresa’s unfamiliarity with a strange country and inability to communicate did not hinder her love and passion for hard work. After only three days, she began working at Mary Ann’s Dry Cleaners while continuing to take care of her parents and two unmarried brothers Domenico and Giovanni. It wasn’t long until this beautiful, hardworking young lady caught the attention of her future husband, Sam Di Bacco. After turning down his marriage proposal three times, Teresa finally told persistent Sam she would marry him under one condition – that she continue to take care of her parents and brothers, and this she did until her brothers were married themselves. Teresa soon had children of her own and proudly raised them with the same wholesome and nourishing values and traditions with which she herself had been raised. There was only one problem: these “ways” of hers often did not fit into the “normal American” way of life. Fortunately for her children, however, Teresa did not care one bit. Always a leader, and never a follower, she continued to work hard and utilize her fail-safe insight and old-world wisdom to make sure that every one of her children successfully realize the one dream of which she had been deprived by uncontrollable circumstances: receiving a college education. Teresa achieved this by keeping her children on the only path – her path – and by constantly working at least two jobs, five to seven days a week. Her subsequent job was at the Weirton Pantry, which then became Weirton Manor Service Systems, for ten years. Next, she worked at Manuel’s Dry Cleaners and Veltri’s (later Fiorello’s II) Restaurant, followed by the Red Bull Inn. Additionally, Teresa cultivated an enormous vegetable garden each year with over 500 tomato plants and many other vegetables. With this garden, she both nourished her family and earned a supplemental income, as she sold many bushels to International Market and DeCaria’s grocery store, as well as many private clients. Teresa finally retired at the age of 84 from Gio’s Italian Restaurant, where she had been the homemade pasta chef for over ten years. Our beloved “Mamma” and “Nonna” would want to be remembered for what she was: an extraordinarily hard worker and abundant provider who loved her children and grandchildren without measure, and this she proved without fail by always putting her family first while putting herself last. She proudly would say, “Hard work for me is as pleasurable as chocolate!” and “For my children, I would take out my heart.”, and she meant it. We would like to thank our cousin, Edie Di Bacco-Wilson, without whom we would not have been able to provide our cherished mother with all of the care she needed. Edie, along with Charena Campbell, Sunny Sacripanti, Bunny Riggs, and Missy Nelson, were our “dream team” of angel caretakers who helped us take wonderful care of the most wonderful woman in the world. May God always bless you. Visitation will be 6-8 PM Wednesday and 2-4 and 6-8 PM on Thursday at the Greco Hertnick Funeral Home 3219 Main Street Weirton, WV. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10:00 AM on Friday at Saint Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church 229 California Ave. Weirton, WV. Very Rev. Dennis R. Schuelkens, Jr., V.E. will preside. Entombment will follow at Saint Paul’s Cemetery, Weirton, WV. Share tributes and memories at www.grecohertnick.com