Obituary of Marie Scudera

Marie Mercurio Scudera, 86, died peacefully in Virginia on Dec. 30, 2019, after a long period of cognitive decline. Marie was born on February 16, 1933 to Domenick and Catherine Mercurio of Bari, Italy. She and her older brother, Sam, and younger sister, Rose, were born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. In 1955, Marie married Vito Scudera, a police officer. Marie and Vito eventually made their home in Massapequa, on Long Island, where they raised three children. Vito passed in 1991. A few years later, Marie moved to Reston, Virginia, where she remained until the end of her life. Marie is survived by her son Peter and his wife Kim of Virginia; daughter Rosanne and her husband Bob Theobald of Cape Cod; son Domenick and his husband Brian Strachan of Pennsylvania; her sister Rose of Long Island; her beloved grandchildren Catherine, Marisa, Benjamin, and Nicholas; and her great-grandchild, Emily. The family will be welcoming two more great-grandchildren in the next months. Marie’s faithful dog companion, Sheba, is doing well in Pennsylvania and living with Domenick. Marie enjoyed Frank Sinatra, crossword puzzles, knitting, and needlepointing. Most of all, she loved to read. She was a voracious reader who devoured several novels a week. She particularly loved a good mystery book, and counted Agatha Christie mysteries amongst her favorites. For those who wish to remember Marie in some way, the family recommends donating to a reading or literacy program, or to a local library, in Marie’s name. We recommend a worthwhile organization, The Book Fairies, a “not-for-profit organization that collects reading materials for people in need throughout metropolitan New York. The reading materials foster literacy and academic success, provide a respite from personal struggles, and nurture a love of reading across age groups,” at www.thebookfairies.org. We also like Operation Paperback, an organization providing an “escape into a good book” for our troops overseas, at www.operationpaperback.org.