Maria Pia Actis

Obituary

Maria Pia Actis of Flagler Beach, Florida passed on June 26, 2024, at the age of 91. Born in Piedimulera, Italy to Adalgisa Pirazzi Gaido and Alfredo Gaido. Maria, along with her only sister, Giovanna (Botti), were raised by her widowed 27-year-old mother and her two aunts, Eugenia and Virginia Pirazzi, after losing their young father in a trucking accident. Growing up during the WWII Nazi occupation of Italy and under the dictatorship of Benetto Mussolini, Maria learned early in life to develop skills to handle life’s sacrifices and hardships. She endured many separations from her mother and sister due to her mother’s taxi driver job and the challenges of living during a wartime occupation. Being young and in the care of her aunts, Maria developed a passion for learning and studying, which would serve her well throughout her life. While in high school, she met the love of her life, Wildes (“Cici”) Actis. They would spend the next 75 years sharing life’s adventures together.

In 1959, with their first-born son, three-year-old Robert, Maria and Wildes left their majestic Italian mountains and crossed the Atlantic Ocean by ship to immigrate to the United States in search of the American dream. As with many other immigrants, Maria and her young family experienced the challenges of not knowing the English language or American culture, finding a new job, and not knowing where they would end up. Through courage, perseverance, excellent work ethics, and strong family values, Maria, her husband, and her children would eventually succeed in that quest.

Maria’s “Famiglia” initially settled in Michigan – first in the Detroit area and then in the suburb of Warren Michigan. There, Maria thrived in her favorite role in life as a deeply devoted Mamma, raising her children with love, joy and a huge giving heart. She became active in her children’s schools, her church, and community. She served as President of her children’s elementary school parent-teacher group, served as the lunch program coordinator, Girl Scout Leader, Cub Scout Leader, and joined the St. Edmund’s Church Women’s Club, where she was instrumental in introducing wine tasting events as a mean of fundraising. She chaperoned many school trips including the Warren Woods High School Choir Tour to Poland. During weekends and summers, the family spent many memorable times at their cottage in the woods of the northern part of Michigan’s lower peninsula. Maria continued her higher education by studying English, Speech, and Accounting at a community college. One of her proudest moments was studying for the naturalization test and becoming an American citizen.

Family was the most important part of life for Wildes and Maria (Nonno and Nonna). Their family grew to four children: Robert (Barbara Grimm), Stella (Dean Aldo), William (Kim Nowak) and Steven (Jackie Lavallier) and six grandchildren: Benjamin, Michael, Nicholas, Christopher, Alexandria (Greyson Reitmeier) and Cristina. Maria also made it a point to remain close and stay connected to her mother and all the many relatives that remained back in Italy and Switzerland. Every few years she would bring one or more of her children back to Italy and Switzerland to visit those relatives. To this day, her children continue that tradition of making those trips.

Maria Pia and Wildes are an example of a true love story in every sense. They were not just partners in life as husband and wife, parents, and grandparents, but they were best friends and entrepreneurs. Maria became part owner, bookkeeper, and office manager in the auto repair business that she and Wildes started. She loved her clients and adored going to work with her husband. Her mannerisms, rare gift of true humor and Italian accent entertained everyone that interacted with her. No one would leave that place of business without a smile when Maria conversed with them. She was truly an absolute delight and a wonderfully social human being. With her darling Italian accent and spunky personality, Maria would light up a room and mesmerize every person she met. Everyone was “a friend of Maria Pia!”

Retirement brought Maria Pia and Wildes to the sunshine State of Florida, where they developed new friends and where life morphed into tennis, canasta card playing, and cleaning the fish Wildes would catch in the ocean in Ormond Beach. She was thrilled that she was able to bring her mother to the United States several times to enjoy the warmer Florida winters with her. Maria loved to travel and spent much of their retirement seeing the world by plane, train, cruises, and automobile. She and Wildes saw many countries and most of the 50 states.

Maria gave back to others in multiple ways beyond her family. For decades, she worked as a precinct Supervisor for the Elections and provided income tax preparation aid for the elderly. She became a member of the ‘Red Hat Society’ group where she brought much laughter to her many friends at monthly lunches at local restaurants. This rare gem touched the world and became an Internet sensation as “Goo Goo Grandma” when the Italian Grandma Google Home Mini video went viral. Maria landed on every network globally and eventually on the Steve Harvey Show twice. Her adorable & energetic personality, her zest for life, and passion for meeting people will be immensely missed. Private celebrations of life will occur in Michigan and Italy.