Mary Battaglia ‘Nana,’ 96

Mary Battaglia died Sept. 9, 2002, on Vashon Island. She was 96 years old.

Born Marianna Zawicka in Gojsk, Poland, on Dec. 8, 1905, she came to the United States in 1909 and lived almost 75 of her 96 years in Monessen, Penn.

Friends and family say Mary — also known as “Nana” to her family — was blessed with such a length of years that she came to know and adore her great-great grandchildren and to spend the last eight years of her life near them.

For the past three years, she was a resident of Vashon Community Care Center, where she was a regular bingo player and participant in activities, especially those that involved singing.

Her husband Joseph died in 1982 and her son Salvatore Jack Battaglia died in 1991.

Survivors include her grandchildren Maryrose Asher and husband Daniel of Vashon; Joseph Battalia and wife Kim of Dayton, Ohio, and Salvatore Jack Battalia and wife Janice of Reseda, Calif.

Other survivors include her great-grandchildren Robert Noonan and wife Zelenne of Long Beach, Calif.; Kristine Al-Shimary and husband Saad of Seattle; Katie Battalia of Dayton, Ohio; Jaclyn Battalia, Brad White and Shannon White of Reseda, Calif., and great-great grandchildren Nicholas Anderson, Nathaniel Anderson and Ayden Al-Shimary of Seattle.

A funeral service was Sept. 14, at St. John Vianney Catholic Church on Vashon. Interment will be at Grandview Cemetery in Monessen, Penn. Services were entrusted to Island Funeral Service.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to St. John Vianney Catholic Church or a charity of your choice.