Obituary of Barbara (Barbera) Cavoli

Dateline: Scotia

Barbara (Barbera) Cavoli of Scotia, NY, died at home on March 31, 2023, her children by her side. She was 87. Mere days after Adone, her husband of 67 years, passed on to his final refuge, her heart gave out. After decades of hard work and devotion, they will be laid together for eternal rest.

Barbara was born December 30, 1935 to Carmelo and Josephine (Grodecka) Barbera, in Burnt Hills, NY. She attended Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake schools, where she pursued archery and cheerleading, and graduated in 1954.

As an adolescent, she worked as a housemaid for the prominent Shause-Rexford family of Saratoga County, where she attended to houseguests during festive soirees and lavish feasts at the well known ‘Shause House’ —a beautiful Victorian mansion in Rexford, NY. As a teenager, she and her friends spent many hours circling the rink at the popular Guptill’s Roller Skating Arena in Cohoes, NY. In 1954, she took a secretarial position at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, where she worked for two years.

In 1956, Barb married Adone ‘Ed’ Cavoli and settled in Schenectady, NY. In 1968; she and Ed moved to Scotia, NY to raise their 5 children. When her children were young, Barbara devoted nearly all of her time to homemaking and caretaking. She was a skilled seamstress and an extraordinary cook. She reveled in mastering the difficult Northern Italian recipes of her husband’s region, such as swiss chard gnocchi, polenta, and dumplings in broth, known as canederli. She often sautéed finferli—wild mushrooms that Ed foraged in the hills of Glenville. A proficient canner, every summer Barb would preserve various fruits, vegetables and jams; often proferring fresh preserved grape jelly scant hours after her children, at Barb’s behest, had raided the backyard grapevine. Her chocolate cream pie, cream puffs, and rice pudding will forever be the subject of family lore.

Barbara prided herself on keeping an impeccably clean home and found joy in tending her rock gardens; cultivating pansies, daffodils, and candytuft, and pampering her daylilies.

As her children grew, Barb worked as a nurse’s aide at the Glendale Home. Later, she was a switchboard operator for Bellevue Women’s Hospital, followed by a 5-year stint at Edgecomb Steel of New England. She ended her working career as a secretary for the family business, Cavoli Grinding; retiring alongside her husband in 1992.
From a young age, Barb felt a kinship with the ocean— something she passed on to her children. As a child she sojourned, with family and friends, to the soft breezes and wild waves of Milford Beach CT. Later in life, she preferred the craggy seascape, and gritty ocean air of Cape Cod. She was a powerful swimmer, with impressive stamina; able to propel far past the breakers and swim for hours. For years, The Cape remained her cherished getaway. She traveled several times over her life to Ed’s hometown of Pinzolo, in the Italian Alps, winning over her husband’s extended family and friends with her kindness and constant effort to speak their language and perfect their unique recipes.

Barb’s intense appreciation for music led to her eclectic palette; from Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass to John Denver and Willie Nelson—even Amy Winehouse made her playlist.

In her later years, homebound with her husband, she grew to love the sights of the wildlife out her kitchen window. She celebrated the discovery of each new bird at the feeder, or the sight of the pudgy, old groundhog who nursed her pups under the shed. She'd wait at the window in the morning, hoping to spot that charming black squirrel or her favorite deer family. She was also a rabid New York Yankees fan—over the last decade, she and Ed watched nearly every game.

Barbara’s life was not easy. Mental illness robbed her of many pleasures throughout the years—a heavy burden on her heart and the hearts of her loved ones. Regardless, she faced each challenge with courage and resolve, and soldiered on. She is loved forever.

Barb was predeceased by her parents; her husband; her brother Joseph and her sister, Lillian; her half-sisters: Jennie Vaccaro Markowicz, Rose Vaccaro Pandori, Helen Vaccaro Bradley; half brothers, Michael and Lawrence Vaccaro. She leaves behind her children: Mel (Gail) Cavoli, Gloria (Bruce) Bochette, Lillian (Sal) LoBaido, Laura (Dan) Donlon, and James (Julie Scelfo) Cavoli. She also leaves her 9 adored grandchildren: Sarah Cavoli (Kawasky Ponce), Alex Cavoli, Grace (Cory) Jackson; Gabriel and Genevieve LoBaido; Christian Donlon; and Luca, Nico & Julian Cavoli; and two treasured great-grandsons, Landon Cavoli, and Ezra Jay Jackson, whose arrival she was eagerly anticipating, and who decided to enter the world two weeks early, on the day Barb died. She also leaves many beloved nieces and nephews.

A viewing will take place on Sunday, April 2 from 12 to 3pm at The Glenville Funeral Home, with A Liturgy of the Word at 1 pm. A private Interment will follow the next morning at St. Anthony’s Cemetery, also in Glenville. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a donation made to the Ocean Conservancy or the International Bipolar Foundation. Online condolences www.glenvillefuneralhome.com