The Holidays were always a Big deal in our family, I remember one Thanksgiving , the year was 1965, John was in Bay of Tonken , so there was just the four of us and mom and dad for Thanksgiving Dinner. We all went to the annual Norwood and Dedham Football game, we came back home after the game .The house smelled of Turkey and all the rest of the Holiday feast.. We all sat down at the table, Mom and Dad each on one end, Dad sat by the Window as usual, these was huge fruit bowl on the table. Dad asked Mom why there was no orange peel in the cranberry sauce, Mom did not hesitate , She proceded to throw the biggest orange at Dad , he ducked , it broke the window, she blamed the broken window on him for Ducking, As handy as he was, the window didn,t get fixed until the summer of 1966. As it turns out we had thanksgiving dinner on the following sunday. Joe

About a half century ago,I met Bicky. One of my favorite memories was an afternoon, Johnny and I spent at Nana and Papa Lillys home on heath street. I fell in love with the family instantly, after watching all the disters dancing to Albanien music. It seems this played out many times over the years, with Celebration after Celebration She loved life and gave generously to her Family and Friends, Passing along her rich Heritage. She was one of a Kind and I will miss her. Rest in Peace Bicky, Love Susan

I am struggling with articulating the right memory or story to share here. There are simply too many wonderful, sometimes strange memories I will always cherish. I think one of the funniest memories was when I revealed my first tattoo to Nana, and she simply said 'oh I always wanted one here' (she pointed to the top of her left breast). At the time I just simply stared, a bit shocked that my Nana would ever choose to do something like that. To this day, it is a story that makes me giggle and fondly remember Nana. I struggled with seeing her physically deteriorate, but I knew that she was happy knowing that she was able to get her nails and hair done. I am truly thankful I was able to visit her a few shorts months before she passed. I didn’t think the visit would be the last, I just enjoyed the moment as it happened. As it turned out, I thoroughly enjoyed helping Nana with her room and ensuring her stay would be as comfortable as possible. As a granddaughter, it was a way for me to say thank you for a lifetime of memories and experiences that I will never, ever forget. Love you always Nana. May you find Peace in your rest.

I found myself struggling with deciding what to say here. Bicky and Carl, Nana and Pa to me, were such amazing, positive influences in my life - and since joining the Marine Corps in 1993 I fell increasingly more and more out of touch. I regret the missed opportunities, but cherish the memories we did share. In one of my earliest memories, Nana and Pa were bringing Jessica and I from Massachusetts to Florida in their slide-in camper in the old green Ford pickup. I remember sitting at the table doing MadLibs while traveling down the highway (try that nowadays) and stopping at campgrounds near lakes where we could fish. We may not have kept any of those sunfish, but we sure caught a lot of them. Others spoke of Nana's generosity, especially during Christmas, and I can attest to that. In the mid-80's I got my first Optimus Prime. This sparked an interest with collecting Transformers toys that I am still afflicted with today. I wasn't ever the best at keeping touch, but you were always on my mind and in my heart. I miss you, Nana and Pa. Rest in peace, and know that you are loved.

I have many fond memories of my sister Bicky, one in particular was Carl and Bicky gave Carole a sweet 16 party , invited many friends and relatives. there was a most special guest that Nana and Pa Mitchell invited Bishop Fan S Noli . Bicky decided she was going to dance the belly dance , Bishop or no Bishop, even he was in awe of her special dance. When we were in our teens we were always trying to fool our parents, we got into lots of trouble , but Bicky would just shake it off, and one of us would be in trouble for breaking the curfew etc. I miss her every day , she was a fighter , until the end and you knew where you stood always. She was a loyal sister, mother , friend and grandmother. Rest in Peace Bicky, I love you and Miss you, Pat

I met Bicky in the fall of 1992 when I first moved to Port Charlotte, Florida. I dated her son Joe. The first time I met the parents of my new boyfriend was dinner at their house. Bicky's husband of 70 years was an amazing man named Carl. He was born in Iowa, same as me. I knew from that time on that my life was forever changed for the better. I was fascinated by Bicky's strong Boston accent & at times had to have Joe translate what Bicky was saying. You know, simple words like "potato" & "fork". After meeting her big, "fat" Albanian family, I knew I would always want to be around, near, or know that family. I was fortunate enough to be part of Carl & Bick's 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration as well as many other family gatherings, parties, holidays, celebrations. I have had the pleasure of knowing this family since & to this day have the gift of life long friendships with her beautiful family. I got to see Bicky in March of this year when I went to visit her daughter Carole. I didn't know it would be the last time I would see her. I thanked her for being so good to me & having a big influence on the person I am today. Thanks Bicky!

Everything I had written wouldn't fit in one form.... One of my other favorite memories was when I was 16. As a teenager Nana always thought I was too thin, and I told her I wasn’t any smaller than she had been at my age and I was eating just fine thank-you-very-much. She didn’t believe me, and determined that the only way to settle it was for me put on her wedding dress so she could prove it. Well I tried to put her dress on and it wouldn’t quite close – when she was my age she had been skinnier than I was! She just laughed and laughed and she never gave me a hard time about my weight again. Although I will miss Nana, I know that it was her time to go, and I am happy that she is now at peace. I was fortunate to get so much time with her throughout my life, and I’ll cherish those memories forever.

I didn’t realize as a child how unusual it is to have all of your grandparents in the same town you grow up in, or how fortunate I was to be one of the kids that did. Now I can appreciate how lucky I was to have gotten to spend so much time with them. I always loved going across the street from school to Nana and Pa’s house during the week. She would always have gingerbread cookies or graham crackers and milk ready for us when we got there. I used to love looking at Nana’s porcelain dolls with her and playing dress up in her costume jewelry. She would spend hours outside with us while we swam in the pool, and sometimes we even got to bring friends over after school to swim. We sometimes had sleepovers which always meant movies and chocolate chip Micky Mouse pancakes in the morning. And I remember Nana making chicken soup for me and taking care of me when I was ill. I always loved Christmas at Nana and Pa’s house. She always had a beautiful tree and Christmas village that lit up. Marco can’t believe how many houses we visited on Christmas day, but I loved it- it was like the excitement of Christmas morning just went on all day! We’d start with Mom’s and Dad’s houses, and then go to Nana and Pa’s, Nana Mary’s and Aunt Carole’s. Nana was always generous in her gift giving, but as I got older my favorite part was always opening the stockings to see what she would put in them. The one constant was a few tubes of Loreal Preference conditioner that she had saved for us when she dyed her hair. I loved that she would stockpile them over several months and give them to us; it was a small way to show that she was always thinking of us and that precious little things like good conditioner should never go to waste.

Part 2 As my sister Deborah had said she was a Mama bear and her cubs were threatened. Off to the showers for us and to the phone for her. First call to the town clerk and she got nowhere. Okay next call to the county and again she met with indifference. And so it went. I know she tried to call someone higher up the list but again found nobody cared. This was a sure way to get her angry and they succeeded in that. She was dealing with small town politics and perhaps payoffs from the offendinig party. These were the days before the EPA so it was a bit of a free for all. Not getting the attention she wanted she took the next logical step. In the morning she woke my brother Joe and I, gave us each a bucket, and told us to go and collect the dead fish that were floating downstream as a result of the now polluted stream. fter collec ting these fish for her she then took them up to the town hall and placed them on some selectmans desk and then demanded action. Al I can say is that within a matter of weeks (things took time back then), the stream was running clear again and the offending factory, a leather tannery, was closing its doors and moving away. It may have been a matter of timing on her part where people were becoming aware of the world around them in regards to the cause and effects of pollution on the health of thier families but I like to think that perhaps she was ahead of the crowd on this one. Well done Mom and Thank You

This is a bit of a long winded story and one that took me a while to write (my save function wasn't working). I do feel that it is an important story to be told though. When thinking of my mother I found that of the many things that she achieved , accomplished, or was involved in there is one moment that reminds me of the strength of her character. While there are many instances of this strength that could be on this list I picked one that I think highlights this most of all. Back in the 1960's we moved from apartment living in Boston to live in Norwood, Mass in a small single family housing development known as Allendale Parkway. While being definately suburban, to us boys it was the wild west. There were woods, streams, farms and fields all around. We built forts, camped out, had campfires, dammed the stream and generally made mischief. The only summer rules we had was be home for supper at five and don't show yourself till then - try that now and see if you don't get a visit from social services. During one of those great summer days of freedom she came looking for us so she could yell at us for something we had done or had planned to do. This was a form of communication often used back then by many parents to get their message accross. Anyway, she found us at one of our favorite spots in the backyard of a neighbor. And in the backyard of this neighbor ran a stream from which we often returned home wet and muddy and in big trouble for ruining or new sneakers and wait till your father gets home etc. Only this time things were different. Halfway through her yell at us she stopped and instead yelled with an urgency that could not be ignored. Coming down the stream was a wall of foam and the water below was a color not normally associated with clean water. It was at that moment she became a voice to be heard and reckoned with. This was the day she became an activist. An enviromental activist. And she rose to the challenge without a moments thought.

Whenever Bic and Carl would visit with me in California, I always felt like a lazy person....and I am not! They both had so much energy, up early and to bed late. They were both like the Energizer bunnies--always moving. When describing them to friends I would say "They worked hard, played hard, and spent every cent along the way." They loved their children dearly. Bic was all about family. She was like a mama bear protecting her cubs. If you dared cross her about any of her children, you would regret it. She always tried to organize get-togethers for everyone in Florida so that those of us far away could gather at the same time to enjoy our family time. Once you became family, she didn't want to let you go. We always kept our "out-laws" within the family circle. She was the first of her siblings to move to Florida and one-by-one, the others followed until there were four sisters and one brother all in the same town. Along with them came the various cousins. A family party always had lots of attendees. We used to joke about any salesperson who had to deal with Bic when she was unhappy about a purchase. She wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted. She loved the art of a deal. She had a strong personality and didn't hold back. She had a challenging last few years. Thankfully, she died peacefully in her sleep. Rest in Peace Mom..........................

I have known Bicky for about 20 years, her sister was my best friend and her daughter Carole is also my friend. My husband and I enjoyed many xmas eves at her home. we also had many lunches as a group shopping and having great lunches. Bicky was a dynamic lady and also a strong one! she was a great hostess! We were recently honored to be a guest at her and Carl's 75th wedding anniversary! she loved her family and she will be missed !!Etfrn

I am sorry to say Goodbye to such a grand lady who commanded attention in her outspoken and dramatic ways. My first encounter with Bicky 39 years ago was frightening for me as she admonished and yelled at me for coming into her kitchen for a cup of morning coffee at her son Joe's invitation after spending the night in the "Sugar Shack." It was quite unsettling but we moved past that and I came to know the strong passion and loyalty Bicky had for her family and her love of her home. I was welcomed into this beautiful and amazing family officially on my wedding day, her birthday (which later I was told was actually March 7 not 6th) and dear sweet Bicky along with the help of her siblings and children planned and hosted the backyard celebration for Joe and I with just two weeks notice. And yes, she belly danced at my wedding and it was wonderful! Bicky babysat my children Laila and Paige faithfully and frequently making it possible for me to finish college and go to work. She always took outstanding care of them and their activities together were fun for all cooking, dressing up, camping, reading, swimming and so much more. Holidays were a favorite of Bicky's and she loved to throw parties and entertain and the food was always homemade and delicious and everybody was welcome, family, friends, friends of family and friends and the more the merrier. Bicky was mainly generous and kind but at times could be unforgiving and tough but you never had to guess what she was thinking because she'd tell you flat out, like it or not. Rest in peace dear Bicky as you enjoy the symphonies of the angels and the company of all your loved ones who've gone before you. Thank you Bicky for all you did for me and my children and for being you and being in my life. My love is a light that will never go out. Sharon

There are so many memories of mom, here are a few; Mom Loved to shop, even when she could no longer get to the mall, there were infomercials, QVC and of course the computer. She loved her children and helped us in many ways, we never had to ask twice for help, she was just there always. She had a personal relationship with the Clairol Co, she knew all the operators names , there were a few times when she used their product the wrong way and she had various color shades including green at one point. I know she is resting , now, with Dad and John and all the others who have gone before, She is not suffering anylonger and I thank God for that. Rest in Peace Mom, I will miss you Your Loving daughter, Carole

Carol & Family, Please accept our deepest sympathy at this very difficult time. Your are in out thoughts and prayers. Rest in Peace Bicky. Love, Bev & Buddy

So sorry for the loss of nana Bic. Haley and I were blessed to be a part of her life and to share many special times with her and the family.. including having a few of her famous belly dancing lessons... God bless her and may she rest in peace.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.