Josephine A. (Leveille) Fassio, 95, a lifelong resident of Haverhill, passed away May 2 in Boston.
She was born in Haverhill on Sept. 27, 1922, the daughter of Joseph and Hilma (Hammer) Leveille.
Fassio was educated in the Haverhill schools, graduating from Haverhill High School. During WWII she was one of the first women employed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. She also was employed as an executive secretary at the IRS for many years until her retirement.
Fassio lived a very active life until her health began to fail recently. Her love of travel took her on trips both near and far, always with family members by her side. She would have travelled the world if given the chance. She was fondly known to her children as M.O.M. – “Mother Of Many,” and to her many nieces and nephews as Aunt Ophine. She painted beautiful pictures that will be cherished for generations to come. Her green thumb was showcased both inside her home and outside in her lavish gardens. She loved watching birds and other wildlife, but she valued family above everything else. She was the rock of our family upon which we all stood.
She was the wife of the late Dante P. Fassio who passed in 1981 and was the last of her siblings. She is survived by her seven children: Donna L. Lane of North Carolina, Lawrence P. Fassio of Denver, Colo., Maria A. and her husband Michael Krajeski of Boiling Springs, Penn., Andrea J. Grazio of Haverhill, Teresa J. and her husband John Newman of Fall Brook, Calif., Elena M. Kothman of Andover and Gina A. and her husband Roger Mathews of Methuen, 16 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren, her sister-in-law Philomena Fassio and several nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend her calling hours on Monday, May 7 from 4-7 p.m. at the H.L. Farmer & Sons Funeral Home, 106 Summer St., Haverhill. Her funeral will be on Tuesday, May 8 at 10 a.m. at the funeral home followed by a Funeral Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in St. John the Baptist Church, Lincoln Avenue, Haverhill. Burial will be in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Haverhill.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the MSPCA, 400 Broadway Methuen, MA 01844.