Gloucester - Gloucester - In the early hours of Thursday, October 23, 2025, Grace C. (Aiello) Favazza passed peacefully in her sleep to her heavenly home.

Grace was born on August 13, 1927, the fourth of eleven children of John and Calogera "Lillie" (Gelardi) Aiello. She was born in Boston's North End where she attended St. John School. In 1942 her family moved to Gloucester, where she completed her education at Gloucester High School, graduating in 1944 at age 16.

Grace was a bookkeeper at Brown's Department Store and the Gloucester National Bank in her early work years. Later in life, Grace worked at various jobs, including crossing guard, teacher's and administrative aide in the Gloucester schools. As a teacher's aide, she helped many immigrant youngsters learn to speak English and to assimilate into the American culture and often interpreted when their parents visited the school.

As a young adult, Grace enjoyed music, especially big band dancing music and attended every dance event available to her. It was at one of these dances that she caught the eye of recently discharged sailor Joseph Favazza who lived "down the Fort" not far from her Middle Street home. A great dancer himself, he liked the way she danced and asked her to dance and thus began their 75 years of dancing through life together. They were married on August 9, 1947, subsequently had seven children together, and lived to enjoy two more generations of their progeny.

In her retirement, Grace pursued other interests like traveling, reading, doing word puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, knitting, cooking, and, most of all, watching baseball and football on television, and playing cribbage. She knew all about the baseball and football players and often commented on how they could best serve their respective teams. Grace spent many happy hours at the old YMCA pool on Middle Street where she was a popular member of the "Wet Hens," the water aerobics group. Playing cribbage at Cameron's, the Legion or the Senior Center, she was a formidable opponent, whom other players feared (all in good fun, of course).

Grace was a woman of prayer. She was a long-time president of the Madonna del Rosario Society and followed the plea of Our Lady of Fatima to pray the rosary daily for world peace, which she did several times each day. She was a faithful parishioner of Holy Family Parish where she had been a Eucharistic Minister, and a member of the American Legion Auxiliary.

Grace was admired for her intelligence, competence and wit and her warm personality. She made a positive impression on everyone she met.

Grace will be missed by her children, Joseph Favazza (Donna), Jolene Erickson, Paul Favazza (Rebecca), Lianne Palazola, Stephen Favazza (Susan), and her daughter-in-law, Maria Favazza; and by her sisters, Marie Linquata, Annette Kennedy, Joanne Aiello and Anthony Tamarindo, sisters-in-law, Grace Aiello, Rose Aiello, Betty Ciulla, J.J. Pramas (Peter); brothers-in-law, Phil Imperato and Dickie Davis, as well as 17 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, and scores of nieces, nephews, and Kerry who rendered many years of love, service and concern.

In addition to her husband, Joseph J. Favazza who died in 2020, she is predeceased by sons ,Salvatore "Torry" Favazza, and John Favazza; her siblings, Joseph and Catherine Aiello, Josephine and Michael DiLiberti, Anthony "Nutzie" Felicia Aiello, Thomas and Emily Aiello, Michael Aiello, John and Patricia Aiello, Louis Aiello; siblings in-law, Louis Linquata, Brien Kennedy, Michael and Nina Favazza, Nina and Louis Benson, Petrina Imperato, Grace Davis, Grace and Ben Parisi and close family friends, Spike and Gert Pretzler.

Grace's last several weeks were made easier by the staff at Care Dimensions, especially nurse Rachel, whose competent and compassionate attention is very much appreciated.

Visiting Hours will be held in the Greely Funeral Home, 212 Washington Street, Gloucester, on Wednesday, October 29, from 4 to 7 p.m.

A funeral mass for Grace and her husband Joe who died during the Covid epidemic will be celebrated at St. Ann Church, Holy Family Parish on Thursday, October 30, at 11 a.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend.

The burial will be held in Calvary Cemetery, Gloucester.

Please omit flowers. Please make a donation in Grace's name to St. Ann's Church, Holy Family Parish, 60 Prospect Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 or to St. Vincent de Paul Society, 74 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA 01930.

For online condolences please visit www.greelyfuneralhome.com.