Ipswich - Cecelia (DeAbreu) Ragusa, 82, of Ipswich, passed away on Sunday, April 12, 2026.

She was the widow of her husband Frank G. Ragusa who passed away in June of 2024. They were married for 61 years.

She was born in Gloucester on June 8, 1943, the third and youngest child of Mary (Gonsalves) DeAbreu and Manuel DeAbreu (affectionally know around Gloucester by his boxing name Al Jolson). She had an older brother, Edmond DeAbreu, as well as an older sister, Teresa (DeAbreu) Gniewek, who she adored until her passing. Both her parents were born on the island of Madeira, Portugal who then immigrated to the United States.

Cecelia graduated from Gloucester High School Class of 1961, where she was named the class clown, a title she kept until her passing. Until the day she passed, she maintained a long, loving relationship with many of her classmates, making a point of meeting for breakfast whenever they could.

Cecelia was always a very hard worker with no job that was beneath her, mostly due to her strong family roots. As a young mother, she like many of the women of Gloucester, worked cleaning whiting & mackerel. Cecelia & her husband Frank G. welcomed their first child on August 12, 1964, a son they named Frank Michael Ragusa. They went on to live with her in-laws, Nina (Pallazola) Ragusa and Anthony Ragusa on Fort Square until they finally worked hard enough and saved enough money to purchase their own home in South Hamilton in 1976, along the way bringing another son, Robert Anthony Ragusa, into the world in 1970.

Cecelia held down many a job over the years, working insurance, being a chambermaid at the Catch Penny Chalet in Danvers (where she eventually rose to managing all the chambermaids) but it wasn't until she took a job as an executive assistant to Nancy Dodge Hayes, an independent financial planner that she would find her calling. The two would develop a very close & unique friendship that carried on for many years until Mrs. Hayes passed after a long illness. While working for Mrs. Hayes, Cecelia was exposed to her two favorite places on Earth, Maui, Hawaii & Key West, Florida. Both would become sanctuaries to her where she could escape to enjoy the beauty of nature as well as her beloved Manatees.

She had a strong love for nature, maintaining her many gardens and for all animals. She could never walk past dog or cat without sticking her face in theirs and giving them a big hug. She herself had many pets over the years from her faithful Bailey to her truest companion, Daisy, and lastly her beloved, Ollie, who survives her.

Cecelia is survived by her sons, Frank M. Ragusa and his wife Robin, as well Robert A. Ragusa; sister-in-law, Alice; nieces, Linda, Laura, Amy, Kara & Tasha; as well as loving cousins, Lita Georges & Connie Perriera. All will miss her terribly.

A visitation will be held on Friday, April 17, 2026, from 5-7:00 p.m. in the Greely Funeral Home, 212 Washington Street, Gloucester, MA.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Voyage Church located at 142 Prospect Street, Gloucester, MA.

Cecelia wishes were to be buried with her parents, and a private burial will be held at a later date at Calvary Cemetery in Gloucester.

For online condolences, please visit www.greelyfuneralhome.com