Macina, Angela C

Angela Carol Macina, 89, of Westwood, MA died peacefully on December 4, 2023. She was born in the Bronx, NY on November 20, 1934 to Dominic and Dora Caggiano, and worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield before retiring in 2000. Angela was preceded in death by her son Anthony Joseph, her husband Vito (Will) Joseph, and her sister Tana Gilmore. She is survived by her son Michael G. Macina and son-in-law Patrick J. Lillis. Her son was a great source of pride to her, and was her favorite topic. And not insignificant was her immediate love and acceptance for her son-in-law Patrick. Angela was a die hard Yankees fan, and loved the Giants. She was a dog lover all her life and embraced Simon, Herman, Judy and Edie as though they were grandchildren. She was generous to a fault. Her checkbook was almost exclusively a ledger of donations to charities. She did not share her mother’s skill at baking but could make meatballs better than any of her Italian contemporaries. She made many friends over the span of her life, and she and Will were always the favorite neighbors anywhere they lived, from Jefferson Valley in upstate New York to Celebration, Florida, where they moved with their son in 2003, and in Boston where they lived at Oak Pointe Village in Middleboro, MA, and finally Foxwood Village in Westwood, where she moved after Will passed. She maintained a friendship with her “maid-of-honor” (as she still referred to her) Joan Vitale of New York, since they were both 12 years old. Angela’s greatest legacy is one of love, strength and resilience. She overcame great adversity in her life, inspiring others with her great spirit for life even with the tragedy of losing her son Anthony at 9 years old to heart disease. Angela appreciated directness, and was always the person in the room with the best sense of humor. Her husband was her great love, and her favorite place. Being here without him for the last 7 years became harder for her to find her joy, yet she showed up to find it every day. Recently, she had a dreamlike apparition of Vito in a dark suit saying to her, “What’s taking you so long?” It wasn’t long after that when her health began to decline as if an answer to his call. In her final hours, Angela expressed her great love for her family and handled everything as she did in life, on her own terms. There were no tears, no resistance, no regrets or angst. She left this world expressing gratitude only. May we all find that peace in this life, and may she be at peace in the next one. Services will be private. Donations may be made in Angela’s honor to her favorite causes, the Humane Society and St. Jude’s.