Grace A. Arena

Age 85 of Nokomis FL, formerly of Stoneham and Medford MA, passed away on August 5, 2016.

Daughter of the late William and Rose (D’Augusta) Sudano and loving wife of the late Anthony G. Arena, she is survived by three children, Richard J. Arena and wife Eileen A. Liberatore of Red Bank NJ, Robert A. Arena and wife Alice (Pardy) Arena of Weymouth MA, Roseanne M. (Arena) Gagnon and husband Steven Gagnon of Weymouth MA, as well as seven grandchildren Candyce (Arena) Sullivan, Anthony Arena, Nicholas Arena, Anastasia Arena, Melissa (Gagnon) Lucas, Alexander Gagnon, and one great-grandchild, Thomas Sullivan. She was pre-deceased by her sister, Constance (Sudano) Kelleher and one grandchild, Sofia Rose Arena. She is survived by a brother Dominic Sudano as well and friends and relatives too numerous to list.

Grace graduated from Medford High School Class 1948 and attended Boston School of Fashion Design. One of her first jobs was in downtown Boston was a seamstress and designer for C. Crawford Hollidge where her creativity and style were readily apparent.

Grace was a strong woman and family matriarch, pressing forward after her husband, Anthony, died prematurely and unexpectedly in 1980. She made an immense impact on the communities in which she lived. In Stoneham, she proudly served as a manager at the Malden Trust Company - Eastern Bank’s Redstone office for nearly 30 years, where she quickly became friend and confidant to her many customers who would stop by and even wait in line just to say hello. Grace was a dedicated supporter of St. Patrick Church in Stoneham and Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, FL where she was a Eucharistic Minister and brought communion to the sick. She was a long-time volunteer at Winchester Hospital. During her 16 years in Florida, the snowbird turned full-time resident became a staple member of her community’s clubhouse and part of a lady’s breakfast club.

Many remember Grace as a talented cook, seamstress, shoe lover, and Italian pastry aficionado. She was a music fan and loved dancing to Sinatra, Martin, Martino, and Como with her husband “Tony”. She had a great love for her large family, enjoyed holiday family get-togethers as well as monthly lunches with her many cousins. She enjoyed her travel to Italy where she met her extended family. Her 4 foot 10 inch stature was small but packed a punch- Grace’s presence and energy was tangible from the moment she walked in the room (along with her signature, Red Door perfume). Her appearance was always flawless, from the top of her impeccably teased coiffure to the tips of her perfectly polished nails. Her giggle was contagious and when she smiled you could not miss her big, brown eyes. She was a Dunkin’ Donuts addict. Her stuffed meatballs and lasagna were crowd pleasers and, whenever you had a bad day, Grace would greet you with a plate full of her famous 7 layer cookies, fresh from her secret stash in the freezer.

Grace had an abounding love to give and touched the lives of many. Relatives and friends are invited to celebrate her life on Wednesday, August 10 between 5-9 pm at Anderson-Bryant Funeral Home at 4 Common St in Stoneham MA. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, August 11 at 10 am at St. Patrick Church in Stoneham MA. Burial will be at Oak Grove Cemetery in Medford MA. Memorial contributions in Grace’s name may be made to St. Anthony Shrine, 100 Arch St, Boston MA 02110.