Obituary of Marianna H. Aragona

Marianna Helen Aragona, 73 of Davenport, FL passed away peacefully in her home on July 24, 2023 in the presence of her most cherished loved ones.

She was born in Philadelphia, PA to her late parents of Maria Elizabeth Marino and Anthony Marino. She is the youngest of three siblings; brother, Bruno Marino and sister, the late Catherine Miles. She was raised in Philadelphia mostly by her mother. Her father passed away when she was only 4 years old. she is survived by her husband, Frank Joseph Aragona and her two children; son, Frank Joseph Aragona, Jr. and daughter. Gina Maria Aragona. Both Marianna and Frank grew up in South Philadelphia and were high school sweethearts. They were wed in September of 1970 and have been happily married for over 52 years. They raised Frank Jr. and Gina while residing in Pennsylvania and then New Jersey. In 2004, Marianna and Frank both retired and moved south to Florida.

Early in her career, she dedicated 18 years of service to the Federal Government Defense Logistics Agency of Philadelphia as a management assistant and budget analyst. In the early to mid 90s Marianna was a realtor for Prudential of Springfield, PA and Fox and Lazo of Turnersville, New Jersey. The remainder of her career was spent in New Jersey as a sales and design consultant for Ethan Allen and Diamond Furniture. She also performed visual merchandising for Levitz, The Dump, and La-Z-Boy.

While retired in Florida, Marianna and Frank often visited nearby Walt Disney World. During her retirement years, Marianna traveled to many destinations. The trips included Turks and Caicos, Riviera Mayo Mexico, The Big Island of Hawaii, and her favorite place, Italy. On their wedding anniversaries, Marianna and Frank went on a Mediterranean cruise and on an Alaskan cruise. Marianna's number one passion was to be by "her" Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy. She was fortunate to make her dream come true not once, but twice visiting Venice, Italy.

During her younger years, Marianna spent many summers in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She loved the beach and walked the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Her favorite venues were the Steel Pier with the Diving Horse and Funcade. Her fond memories were associated with being at her Aunt Jenny's house on S. Florida Avenue.

Marianna and Frank had several family pets. Their cats were Puffy, Peeper, Oogie, and Tiki. Their two dogs were both pugs named Rosie and Bobo whom she dearly loved.

Most of all, Marianna was a devoted housewife, she went above and beyond for her two children. She liked gardening and landscaping, was very detailed in home decorating, and enjoyed cooking. She loved making mashed potatoes and made the best chicken cutlets.

Marianna was someone who possessed the natural ability to make people laugh. She always gave her "spiel" as she would never hold back or refrain from expressing her opinions on just about anything. Her qualities included creative writing and storytelling, many of which had funny twists.

In May 2002, Marianna was diagnosed with stage 3B breast cancer and then in 2013 was discovered to have stage 4 metastatic cancer. She courageously battled with the side effects of cancer in recent years. Marianna was a warrior, she fought until the very end. She will be most remembered for her love, her wits, and her sense of humor. 

A visitation will be held on Monday, July 31 from 10-11 AM at Pagano Funeral Home, 3711 Foulk Rd., Garnet Valley, PA followed by a Funeral Liturgy at 11AM. Interment, SS Peter and Paul Cemetery, Springfield, PA. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.paganofuneralhome.com.