Obituary
Anne C. Barbieri (nee Codianni), age 92, of Winter Park, FL passed peacefully into the loving arms of her Lord and Savior on November 28th, 2018. Anne was born December 15th, 1925 in Franklin, MA to John and Mary (nee Veneziano) Codianni. She graduated from Waterbury Catholic High School where she excelled in English and Latin and never missed a day of school. She was a opera singer and accomplished pianist. In particular, she was passionate about opera and classical music. She could sing in Italian, French, and German. During WWII, she sang on the radio and at local events in the Waterbury area. She married Anthony V. Barbieri on June 28, 1947, at Our Lady of Lourdes, Waterbury, CT. She passionately loved beauty in art, antiques, music, literature, language, and nature. She cherished her family, her church, and friends. She was an avid gardener, particularly loving daffodils, bee balm, and wildflowers. She devoted most of her life to caring for her family.
In 1974, Anne moved to Florida and joined St. Margaret Mary’s church where she was an active and devoted member for the last 42 years. Many Sundays, Anne sang for the church, lifting up her voice in praise of Jesus and Our Lord. For many years, Anne was a realtor at Winter Park Realty. Anne passionately believed she sold homes to people, not just a house. She was a valued member of the Bach Choir for 16 years, 1984-2001, and traveled with them to Italy to sing for the Pope. Above all, she gave much of her life in supporting her family and friends. Anne was a strong, resilient woman. She aspired for the best for those she loved and always encouraged all to dream big. In times of trouble, she poured out her love and prayers on those in need. She was charismatic and caring and had many friends even in her 90s. Her vivacious personality and deep affection for others leave an enduring memory in so many hearts.
Anne is predeceased in death by her husband Anthony V. Barbieri and her brother, Vincent Codianni. She is survived in death by three daughters: Lisa Lettero of Jamison, PA and her husband Richard; Madeline Godlewski of Beacon Falls, CT and her husband Daniel; Lauren Fox of Lakeville, MN and her husband, Darwin. She is also survived by four grandchildren: Stephen Lettero, David Lettero, Ellen Fox, Katherine Fox; four great-grandchildren: Grace Lettero, Arthur Lettero, Charles Lettero and Zayna Lettero; her sister: Connie Stratton; her niece Gail Doukas and her husband Anthony, her great-niece Monica Francis and great-nephew Daniel.
Anne leaves a beautiful legacy. Her operatic voice, musical talent, charisma, love of art and language, and her strong family traditions live on in her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We treasure these gifts and honor her memory in all the things we do and love, knowing that the lessons she taught us will be handed down generation after generation.
Anne loved Jesus, Mary, and God, observing her Catholic faith with dedication and adoration.
She is celebrating peace with her Lord and Savior.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, December 4th, 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM at the chapel in St. Margaret Mary’s Church 526 North Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789. Services will follow immediately after at the chapel.
I am amazed at all your mom had accomplished in her life. She sounds like she was remarkable in so many ways. She clearly passed those same traits on to her daughters!
Remember she is always in your heart guiding you always & now she is with your dad in heaven.
May your sadness be short knowing she is with our Heavenly Father. You are & have always been very well loved!
May the Lord grant your mother eternal rest and peace in heaven where she will smile from above for all the kindness, care, support, and love you have given her throughout her life. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time.
With our deepest sympathy,
The Cianciola Family
I ask . . . that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You. . . . I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity. . . . Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am. . . . —John 17:20-24
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. —1 Corinthians 13:12
Two dear friends, Fathers Thomas Keating (1923–2018) and Joseph Boyle (1941–2018), lived many years in community at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, where they welcomed guests for contemplative retreats. A couple years ago, Lucette Verboven interviewed both of them. She asked Father Joseph if he expected at death to be transformed:
Yes, I expect death to be a transition. I think it is a movement into a space that is not limited by our body and our senses that are quite limited now. I like the phrase in St. Paul, that we will “see God face to face” [1 Corinthians 13:12] and we’ll relate to people and the beauty of who they are without the ego-agendas we have right now.
I see [life after death] as infinite love, as if the whole atmosphere of heaven is filled with God as a kind of vibration going through us. I think that we are going to see and know each other in God, whatever that word means. It strikes me as a homecoming, us returning home to where we come from. . . and all of our brothers and sisters are coming home as well. . . . I certainly have a very deep hope that it is a transition into an incredible related life. [1]
Similarly, Keating wrote:
Death is only a part of the process of living. If the Communion of Saints has become real for us, then every funeral is a celebration of eternal life. That is the great insight of the Mass of the Resurrection, the new funeral rite. Death is not an occasion only for sorrow, but an occasion of rejoicing that our friends or relatives have moved to a deeper level of union and that we will be with them again. [2]
We are all always connected to God and each other and every living being. Most of us just don’t realize it. Jesus prays that we could see things in their unity and wholeness.
Either we learn how to live in communion with others, or, quite simply, we’re not ready for heaven and are already in hell. We have been invited—even now, even today, even this moment—to live in the Communion of Saints, in the Presence, in the Body, in the Life of the eternal and eternally Risen Christ.
There is only One Love that will lead and carry us across when we die. If we are already at home with Love here, we will quite readily move into heaven, Love’s eternal home. Death is not a changing of worlds, as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.
All my love to your family. Very lucky I got to meet this grand woman.
Delphine
I am very sorry for your loss. A scripture that encouraged me very much when I have lost loved ones in death is Psalms 34:18. It says ",Jehovah is close to the brokenhearted and those who are crushed in spirit he saves."