Carmela (Gazzilli) Venturino

Carmela (Gazzilli) Venturino

On Saturday, August 3, 2019, Carmela (Cam) passed away peacefully, with family by her side, at the age of 91.

Cam is survived by daughter Cynthia Gunther of Palmyra, NY; son Frank (Gail) Venturino, Jr. of Naples, FL; and son Stephen (Jodie) Venturino of Rochester, NY. She is also survived by several grandchildren—Eliscia Severin of Palmyra, NY; Andrew Gunther of Palmyra, NY; and Stephanie Venturino of Rochester, NY—and a great-grandson, Nolan Gunther of Palmyra, NY.

In addition, she is survived by her sister, Virginia Parasiliti of Cary, NC, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Born in Mount Vernon, NY, Cam grew up in the Utica area and met her lifelong love, Frank Venturino, shortly after his service in World War II. She worked in sales; he worked in the display department at Burger’s Department Store in Utica, NY. They were married on April 30, 1949.

Cam loved spending time with her family at home on Brinckerhoff Avenue in Utica and at their cottage near Hinckley Lake in the Adirondacks. She enjoyed cooking and baking for others—Sunday family time and pasta was a tradition, and she was renowned for her famous Italian Christmas cookies! In her free time, she enjoyed reading, writing poetry, and crocheting. Cam made all kinds of hats, scarves, mittens, gloves, and lap blankets for the needy. She was a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees and the card game Rummy. 

Cam accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior in 1980. “I felt like a new person,” she wrote. “The old me had died on Calvary—I became born again, a new person in Christ.” Cam loved being a part of her church family, whether it was leading a Bible study, teaching teens in Vacation Bible School, or playing with toddlers in the nursery. Above all, Cam lived to love others: she always had time to listen to people and to encourage them.

In 1991, Frank and Cam decided to build their dream home in Palmyra, NY. They enjoyed living close to their children and grandchildren. In the fall of 2015, Frank died at the age of 91. Since 2016, Cam has resided at the Highlands Living Center in Pittsford, NY. At the Highlands, she made friends, grew to love the staff members, and enjoyed the simple pleasures of life: winning Bingo, singing songs with Chaplain Steve, playing cards, and enjoying family outings.

Please join the family at 1PM, Thursday, August 8, 2019,  at the main entrance to Palmyra Cemetery, 272 Vienna St., Palmyra, NY, 14522; for a procession to the grave site where a prayer service will be offered and we lay Carmela to rest next to her husband Frank.  A reception will follow the graveside service. To light a candle, leave a condolence, or upload a photo, please visit www.murphyfuneralservices.com.

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