Obituaries

Born June 23, 1933, in Jersey City, NJ, to Joseph and Antoinette Bottichio, Marie is survived by her only daughter, Lauren DeBenedictis (Christy Arnold) and her four grandchildren, Emma, Dalaynin, Gabriel and Daxton of St Charles Illinois and her six nieces and nephews and their spouses. Charles (and Elizabeth) Rizzo, Pamela (and Robert) Hopper, Frank (and Margaret) Rizzo, Michele (and Gary) Mascolo, Madeline (and Steve) Savas and Joseph (and Deborah) Rizzo.

She was preceded in death by her parents Joseph and Antoinette Bottichio, her husband of 45 years, Humbert (Al) DeBenedictis, her loving son, Gregory P. DeBenedictis of Geneva, Illinois, her beloved sister, Madeline Rizzo, NJ and Brother-in-law, Frank D. Rizzo of Emerson, NJ. 

Marie was a Fordham University Undergrad (Class of 1954) and held a Masters in Education.  She spent her early years in New Jersey teaching middle school and eventually high school students.  She loved teaching but she especially loved a class of boys that she often spoke about.  She was asked to teach a class of troubled teenage boys.  She knew once she spent time with them, she would find a way to communicate, connect and to help them find their way.  She was able to get the school to fund several trips into NYC to take the boys to Broadway shows.  She said years down the road most came back and told her without her they would have never become successful men.  One particular young man sought her out even after she left NJ to tell her how she impacted his life, and he went on to become a Captain in the US Navy. 

Marie moved to the suburbs of Chicago in 1971 when her husband, Al, was transferred as Asst Chief Council at the Department of Energy.  Here she would spend the majority of her career in the Creative Writing world writing articles for local publications.  She finished her career as the Copyright Editor at Wilton Enterprises.  In retirement she continued to freelance and spend time reading and keeping her mind sharp by doing crossword puzzles and keeping up on politics.  She spent the majority of her time in the last 20 years helping raise her grandchildren and passing on her endless wisdom in areas of love and loss and the importance of learning to be resilient.   She always raved about the success of her children and nieces and nephews. She was proud to be a Bottichio and a DeBenedictis. Her work ethic and ferocious loyalty to her family came from her parents and was passed on to her children and grandchildren.  Always proud and accepting and never wavering in her unconditional love of family.   

A private funeral mass will be held at St Patrick’s church in St Charles. 

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