In Memory

Toni A. Picariello

Toni Ann Picariello, 72, of Conway, SC, died peacefully on September 6, 2021 at Conway Medical Center from complications related to COVID-19. Toni was born on June 12, 1949 in Boston, MA to Louis Picariello and Anna (Briggs) Picariello. She grew up in Needham, MA and graduated from Needham High School in 1967. Toni moved to Bellingham, MA in 1972 where she raised two daughters and became a well known member of the community for over 40 years. She worked as a legal assistant/paralegal for a number of firms over the years, most recently employed by Louison, Costello, Condon & Pfaff. In 2018, Toni moved to Conway, SC so that she could live close to the beach and hang out in the waves every day, if she chose to. While living in Bellingham, Toni was an extremely active member of the community. She was a player and founding member of the Womens Over 30 Softball League, served on the town Finance Committee for decades and taught genealogy workshops at the Bellingham Senior Center. Toni was very involved in many of her daughters school clubs and extracurricular activities, helping fundraise and chaperone for just about everything she could. She was adventurous and fun-loving, never turning down the opportunity to experience something new or different. As a member of American Coaster Enthusiasts, she traveled around the Eastern U.S. riding roller coaster after roller coaster, catching as much "air time" as she could. Toni loved driving and never turned down a road trip in her minivan or motorcycle. She graduated from New England Tractor Trailer Training School in 1991 simply to prove that she could drive anything. Toni was an avid Beatles fan and loved to visit Strawberry Fields in New Yorks Central Park on John Lennons birthday. She loved the beach, body surfing and perfecting her tan. She loved purple (even her small kitchen appliances were purple!) and whales, often joking that if reincarnation existed, she wanted to return as one so she could swim forever and never have to diet. She had a great sense of humor and laughed at herself more than anything else. Toni never met a stranger she couldnt turn into a friend, and many visited her at her new home in Conway. More than anything, Toni loved spending time with her family, especially her two grandsons. She was more than just their Nana - she was their playmate and partner in crime. She was strong-willed, opinionated and stubborn and passed these characteristics down to her children and grandsons, who credit her with teaching them to be strong and independent, never afraid to speak up or stand up for what they believe is right. Toni is survived by her daughters Jodie Martin of Haverhill, MA and Angela Verge and her husband Sam of Carlisle MA; her father, Louis Picariello of Needham, MA; brother Michael Picariello and his wife Joyce of Cotuit, MA; sister Lori DeBrunn and her husband Albert of White Bear Lake, MN; grandsons Miles and Eliot Verge; many loving nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins; a multitude of loving friends and a variety of "surrogate" children she took under her wings over the years. She is preceded in death by her mother, Anna Picariello. Per her wishes, Toni was cremated and her ashes will be scattered near Horseneck Beach in Westport, MA in a private family ceremony. A Celebration of Life will be scheduled for June of 2022 near the beach she loved so dearly. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Tonis memory to Save the Whales or American Coaster Enthusiasts.

Posted online on September 26, 2021

Published in The Needham Times

 

https://www.wickedlocal.com/obituaries/needham-times_cn13986287