PROCLAMATION from Fred Camillo, First Selectman
WHEREAS, Nancy Phyllis DePreta Spezzano was born on Sunday, March 26th, 1922 in Stamford to Giuseppe (Joseph) DePreta and Maria Pia DePreta, both immigrants from the small hillside town of Settefratti, Italy. Nancy is one of eight children, growing up with five sisters and two brothers on the west side of Stamford; and
WHEREAS, Nancy graduated from Stamford High School and worked for Northam Warren Company and War Works during World War II. She eventually applied on a whim for a job at General Electric, which turned into a 60+ year legacy ending in retirement as a Supervisor and Collateral Analyst; and
WHEREAS, Nancy met the love of her life, Astor (Ozzie) Rocco Spezzano, Greenwich resident and future Assistant Post Master of the Riverside Post Office, after World War II. Together, they built their dream home on land given to them by Ozzie’s father, Louis Spezzano, who owned most of the property connecting Spezzano Drive and Sheephill Road in Riverside; and
WHEREAS, Nancy and Ozzie had four children, Lynn, Bette, Mary Ellen and Ozzie, and raised their family with an abundance of love, laughter, singing, car trips, and food. Nancy went on to be a grandmother seven times over and a great-grandmother, continuing to instil in her family strong values, perseverance, a love for life, and the ability to say “yes” to new situations; and
WHEREAS, After Nancy lost Ozzie after three decades of marriage, she put all of her energy and time into being present for her own children raising their families, making her home on Sheephill Road the family safe haven filled with the delicious food and baked goods she spent years perfecting, card games, and decorations according to each season and holiday; and
WHEREAS, Nancy remains a parishioner of St. Catherine’s of Siena in Riverside and fondly tells stories where Greenwich and Stamford are the continual back-drop: barbecues at Tod’s Point, participation in Silver Sneakers, lunches at the Italian Center in Stamford, and walks around Binney Park where she has a bench dedicated to the love she and Ozzie shared and spread; and
WHEREAS, Nancy beat cancer at the age of 83, has continued to thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is celebrated each and every day by the family and friends who adore and admire her. She is the personification of the Italian phrase: Cent’Anni!
NOW, THEREFORE, l, FRED CAMILLO, FIRST SELECTMAN OF THE TOWN OF GREENWICH, do
hereby proclaim March 26, 2022 as
Nancy Spezzano Day
in the Town of Greenwich and urge all citizens to join me in wishing Nancy Spezzano a very happy 100th birthday! Congratulations and best wishes!