Emma C. (Okolotowicz) Fazzalaro, 95, passed away peacefully on December 22, 2017 in the Meriden home she loved for more than 65 years.
Mrs. Fazzalaro was born August 1, 1922 in Wallingford to John and Karolina (Bieliecki) Okolotowicz and lived a long life full of love and family. She was an amazing cook, an avid reader, an expert seamstress, a dedicated Girl Scout leader, a devoted wife, and a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Mrs. Fazzalaro graduated from Lyman Hall High School in Wallingford. She was employed by International Silver in the 1940s, where she met her husband, James J. Fazzalaro. They married on October 13, 1945. During WWII, she built artillery shells as part of the war effort. After raising her children, she became an independent businesswoman who owned the West End Package Store in Meriden with her husband. She was very proud of helping send her youngest brother to college and, in her later years, delighted in the company of her eldest brother as they reminisced about old times over meals. Mrs. Fazzalaro was known for her fantastic food, family parties, sharp intellect, dancing flair, kindness, and beautiful, loving smile. She doted on her grandchildren with presents under the bed, handmade Halloween costumes, college care packages, yum-yums, dibs, desserts, Sunday phone calls, and unlimited peanut bowl access. She was a lifelong parishioner of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Meriden. She was the heart of her family and will be missed more than words can express.
Mrs. Fazzalaro was predeceased by her husband of 53 years, James J. Fazzalaro, Sr., her parents, and her brothers Alex, Joseph, and Thomas. She is survived by her daughter Carol F. Corbitt and her husband Patrick of Old Bridge, NJ, and her son James J. Fazzalaro, Jr. of Plantsville; her five grandchildren, Cathleen Dipierro and her husband Dan, Christine Bocchiaro and her husband Craig, Jonathan Corbitt and his wife Nora, Jeanna Fazzalaro, and Megan Perry and her husband Matthew; her five great-grandchildren, Bryanna, Kaelyn, Ava, Madeline, and Daniel; and many nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, December 28, 2017 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady Queen of Angels Mt. Carmel Campus at 109 Goodwill Avenue in Meriden. Burial will follow at Sacred Heart Cemetery at 250 Gypsy Lane in Meriden. Friends and family may call at John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home, 88 East Main St., Meriden, on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 from 4-7 p.m. or at 9 a.m. on Thursday prior to the Mass.
Mrs. Fazzalaro’s family would like to thank Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care and all of her therapists and care workers for their dedication. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care, 267 Finch Avenue, Meriden, CT 06451.

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