Mary Grace Yemma

Mary Grace Yemma, 101, passed away on February 24, 2025. She was the wife of the late Raymond Yemma and the daughter of the late Gaetano and Pasqualina (Mastrostefano) Faella. Born in Providence, she grew up in Wakefield, RI attending Peace Dale Elementary School and graduating from South Kingstown High School in 1941.

She held many jobs throughout her years, beginning as a young woman working in the Peace Dale mill. Later, during WWII, she worked at Hamilton Standard Propeller in Westerly. In the 1960s, she managed the Coffee Break restaurant in Kingston. She then secured a job at the University of Rhode Island. In the late 1960s, she and Ray moved their family to Florida. There, she managed (another) Coffee Break restaurant in Vero Beach, Fla., and later served as the secretary to the Vero Beach Fire Department. She returned to RI in 2012, after the death of her husband. She resided at Brookdale South Bay in Assisted Living until 2021, when she moved to the West Shore Health Center in Warwick, RI.

She was an accomplished sewer, making most of the clothes she wore, even sewing several suit coats for Ray, and dresses for her granddaughters. She was a great cook, putting together meals, especially lasagna, and cooking Thanksgiving dinners for a crowd. And, could she ever bake a pie.... of any kind! Whenever she and Ray took to the dance floor, all eyes were on them. She always said she wanted to live to be 100; not only did she get that, but an extra year to boot!

Besides her husband, she leaves four children: Dennis, his wife, Jule, Sibby, Cynthia, her husband, Bud, and John, his wife, Lillian; eight grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. She also leaves one brother, Antonio (Tony) Faella, and his wife, Betty. She was the sister of the late, Sue Carlile, Marie Baton, Connie Nocito, Ann Caswell, Anna Perry, Louise Chappell, Sylvio Faella, and Vincent (Jack) Faella. She also leaves many nieces and nephews.

Friends and family are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, March 3, 2025 at 11AM in St. Francis of Assisi Church in Wakefield. Burial will follow at St. Francis Cemetery on George Schaeffer Street in Peace Dale.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Home Health and Hospice Care of Nursing Placement, 334 East Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02860.