Our beloved parishioner, Francesca Isabella Dibilio Healy entered into eternal life on Thursday, July 23, 2020. She was just one month shy of her 85th birthday (August 28). She had moved this summer to a skilled nursing facility in Seattle, WA to be near her son, Ted. She had been under hospice care for bone cancer.

Her good friend, Deborah Tatto, writes:

Francesca moved from Southern California in 1958 to attend SF State, where she received a BA in Child Development.  She returned to the southland, and finally to the Bay Area in 1970.  She started at Newman in 1975, where she met her late husband Dan at a Halloween party in 1978, where they married in 1979 (Fr. Jack McConnell), and where Ted was baptized in 1980 (Fr. George Fitzgerald).

 During her long tenure at Newman, Francesca was active in the 10:00 and Family Mass choirs, served as Eucharistic minister, and as host, server, and entertainer (piano) at Loaves & Fishes dinners.  When time & energy allowed, she helped with coffee & donuts setup, and participated in both Women in Conversation and Newman Elders.  Away from Newman she was active at the North Berkeley Senior Center, and was a founding member of the Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra, where she sang through the fall 2019 season.

I heard from Ted today (7/24/20) with a lovely story of his last visit.  He went to see her Wednesday night, bringing her favorite dinner, mixed salad with salmon (her almost favorite food ever).  She had a hard time eating it, so instead she just had dessert.  After that, he wheeled her down to the community room where there is a piano, but it was difficult to play because of a. she was in a reclining wheelchair, and b. she didn't have the strength in her wrists and fingers.  She played very slowly and kept asking Ted if he knew the song.  He couldn't really remember, but turns out it was an old love song from Nat King Cole.  When she finished, she said, "that song says how I feel about you."  He was so touched.  He removed his gown, face shield and mask, (which he never ever had before) and gave her a hug and a kiss on her head, and told her how much he loved her.

The next time he saw her was Thursday afternoon, holding her hand as she died.

He has decided that there will be no memorial until there is a vaccine and people feel more comfortable traveling, likely sometime maybe spring of next year.  

In the meantime, please keep her in your prayers.

If you would like to write to her son Ted, his address is
412 Broadway #409, Seattle, WA 98122.