Francesca A. Nigrelli

Francesca Antonia (Pizzuto) Nigrelli, 74, of Reading , died December 22, 2011 in the St. Joseph Medical Center, Bern Township.

She was the wife of Santo Nigrelli, whom she married July 5, 1961, in Sicily. They recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Born in S. Stefano Di Camastra, Italy on September 2 1937, she was the daughter of the late Paolo and Calogera (Romano) Pizzuto.

She was a member of St. Anthony's of Padua Roman Catholic Church, Reading.

Francesca was employed 10 years as a seamstress with H. Oritsky, Reading and later co-owned, with her husband, Nigrelli's Restaurant, Reading for another 10 years.

She last worked 16 years with the Reading Hospital, before retiring in 2007 as the supervisor in the sewing department.

Francesca was a member of the Women's Society of Victor Emmanuel II, Reading.

She loved to sew, cook, and bake and looked forward to Sunday dinners with her family.

Francesca is also survived by four children: Maria C., wife of David C. Dewald of Bern Township; Fran J., wife of Antonio Gentile of Bern Township; Fina S., wife of Barry L. Whitmoyer of Lower Heidelberg Township and Lucy N., wife of Steve Melniczek of Lower Heidelberg Township.

Other survivors include two brothers: Giovanni, husband of Maria Pizzuto and Salvatore, husband of Rosina Pizzuto, all of whom reside in Sicily. She was predeceased by a brother, Liborio, late husband of Ida Pizzuto.

There are also nine grandchildren: Adrianna & Antonio Gentile; Jason & Derek Dewald; Tim & Erika Whitmoyer; Peter, Chiara and Luke Melniczek.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday, December 29th, at 10:00 am in St. Anthony's of Padua Roman Catholic Church, 501 Summit Avenue, Reading, PA 19611. A viewing will be held Thursday from 8:00 - 9:30 am in Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, Inc., 739 Penn Ave., West Reading, PA 19611.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The American Heart Association, 212 East Broad Street Bethlehem, PA 18018 or the National Kidney Foundation, 30 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016.

For online condolences, visit www.kuhnfuneralhome.com