Brenda DiGiovanni
Southern Pines, N.C. — Brenda DiGiovanni, 79, passed away peacefully Sept. 16,
2020, in Southern Pines, N.C. The youngest daughter of William K. and Ione (Williams) Albrecht, she was born Brenda Lynn Albrecht Jan. 28, 1941, in Monticello, N.Y. She graduated from Monticello High School in 1958. She was nostalgic of her upstate roots, often recounting stories of growing up in the heyday of festive towns and summer resorts dotted amongst the Catskill Mountains. Brenda received her bachelor’s degree in physical education from the Cortland State Teacher’s College (now the State University of New York at Cortland) in 1963.
Brenda accepted a teaching position at Hueneme High School in Oxnard, Calif. in
1963. While in California, she met Philip J. DiGiovanni of Nanuet, N.Y., who was serving in the U.S. Navy in San Diego. The couple married Nov. 21, 1964, in Monticello, and settled in Rockland County, N.Y. Brenda taught in the school districts of Pearl River and North Rockland, and served on the Good Samaritan Hospital Guild in Suffern. She was also a hostess at the General Electric Pavilion in the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. She would later spend 16 years as the office manager of her husband’s dental practice.
“Helga,” as she was affectionately called — thanks to frequent postings of “Hagar the Horrible” comic strips throughout our childhood home — was a dedicated wife and mother. She was happiest when surrounded by family, especially her seven grandsons. Helga was revered throughout her years as a fabulous cook and hostess, taking great joy in impeccable execution of multi-course gourmet menus and festive, elegant decorations that would sustain holiday traditions and many a special gathering with family, friends and neighbors. Helga was also known for always encouraging her children to follow their passions in life, and would highlight their individuality. She was a frequent fan at countless music lessons, sporting events, scouting outings, school band performances and horseback riding events.
Forever championing a healthy lifestyle, Helga kept active with aerobics, dance classes and tennis. She was meticulous with her gardening and property upkeep, and took immense pride in making every home she lived in warm and welcoming by decorating the rooms with beautiful antiques she found from around the country. Her favorite outdoor activities were summer sailing and winter skiing. She especially admired the majesty of Maine’s coast and the serenity of New Mexico’s Taos Ski Valley. She loved to read, particularly about travel, and her wanderlust fueled relentless research about the next corner of the world she hoped to talk her beloved husband into visiting. This negotiation occupied a great deal of her energy, and she quickly found he was most apt to agree, if the destination was Italy.
Eventually, Brenda and Philip retired in 2001, to their favorite place in the world, Stonington. Here they subsequently enjoyed sharing a decade of boating, skiing, beaches, travel and visiting their children and grandchildren. In 2012, Brenda was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, and her loving husband became her remarkably patient and able caregiver in the years that followed, until an unfortunate accident in August 2015, disabled him, and necessitated their move to the St. Joseph of the Pines skilled nursing facility in
North Carolina. Helga was always lovingly tended to by her family and caregivers during her long battle with dementia. Despite the effects this disease had on her vibrant persona, Helga’s adoration of family was still warmly perceptible to the very end. She was an incredible example of perpetual love. If she could leave us all with one message, it would be “to forever care for and hold your loved ones close.”
Brenda is survived by her husband Philip DiGiovanni, residing in Southern Pines, N.C.; and her sister Camille Pepe of Callicoon, N.Y. She is also survived by her oldest son Christopher DiGiovanni, his wife Susan (Naimi) DiGiovanni and their four sons: Nicholas, Cameron, Peter and William, all of Milton, Mass.; her daughter Maria DiGiovanni, husband David Casey and their three sons, Philip, Jack and George, all of Pinehurst, N.C.; and her youngest son Andrew DiGiovanni of Vienna, Austria. She will be cremated at Boles Funeral Home in Southern Pines, N.C., and a family only celebratory Mass will be said in her honor at both the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pinehurst, N.C. and at the St. Mary Catholic Church in Stonington. Helga’s ashes will be held in a companion urn until the future passing of her beloved husband, Philip, after which their ashes will be united in accordance with their wishes, and a funeral Mass held for both at St. Joseph’s Church in New London. There are also plans for a gathering held in their honor at Dodson Boatyard. Interment of the companion urn with their combined ashes will take place at the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Brenda’s name may be made to the Stonington Free Library in Stonington, CT; St. Joseph of the Pines in Southern Pines, N.C., or FirstHealth Hospice & Palliative Care in West End, N.C. Online condolences may be made at www.bolesfuneralhome.com.
Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Pinehurst.