Obituaries

Sylvia Joanna Spadafore

Date of Death: July 9, 2021
Viewing/Services:

A funeral visitation will be held on August 6, 2021, from 10am – 11:30am at Rhome Funeral Home in Monessen.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her memory to the Greater Monessen Historical Society or the Monessen Senior Center. 

Sylvia Joanna Spadafore passed in her home on July 9, 2021; she was 80 years old and a lifelong resident of Monessen. Born on December 10, 1940, Sylvia was the daughter of John Sackman (Giovanni Saccomanno) and Rose Sackman (Rosa Oliverio), who both emigrated from Calabria, Italy in the early 1900s. In 1962, Sylvia married Patsy D. Spadafore, and raised four sons in Monessen on McMahon Avenue. Sylvia had a lifelong curiosity for the history of Monessen and was the go-to source of the family histories of many of Monessen’s residents. Her independent, authentic and selfless nature left an indelible mark on the community through her work with Greater Monessen Historical Society, Monessen Senior Center, Meals on Wheels, and in delivery of flowers for many years across the Mon Valley. Sylvia’s husband, Patsy, died in May 2000 and her second son, Patrick, died tragically in a car accident in November 1989. She is survived by her brother, John Sackman and his wife Barbara of Orlando, FL; her sons, Anthony A. Spadafore and his wife, Patti Miller, of Charlottesville, VA, John W. Spadafore and his wife Connie of Lorton, VA; Eugene D. Spadafore and his wife Tania of Ellwood City, PA; and eight grandchildren: Emma, Jonathan, Christopher, Joseph, and Nicholas (of Lorton VA); and Dominick, Madeline, and Anthony (of Ellwood City, PA).