Lena Loiacono

Salinas- Lena Loiacono née Messineo passed from this life to the next this past Saturday on March 1. At the age of 95, she leaves grieving family and friends in various places around the country - western NY State, southern FL, TX and here in the Monterey-Salinas area. As condolences come in, the description most used by those who know her is "this great lady," "this extraordinary person." She passed surrounded by her three sons and one of her grandsons, all sharing heartfelt expressions of mutual love and profound appreciation, sentiments echoed in many phone calls, e-mails and Facebook commentaries. Born on January 14, 1919, she is the third eldest of eight brothers and sisters, children of Angelo and Mary Messineo, born in Eynon, PA outside of Scranton. Raised in Jessup, PA for a few years, the family moved to Rochester, New Year where she lived for 75 years, leaving to stay in St. Petersburg, FL five years after her dear husband, Jim Loiacono, Sr., passed from this life in their forty-ninth year of marriage. She came to the Monterey-Salinas area around the middle of January 2013, living with her youngest son, Dr. Ron Loiacono. She leaves her eldest son, Fr. Jim Loiacono, OMI who is stationed in the Laredo Diocese in TX, her middles son Rick, a realtor in Belleair Bluffs, FL and her youngest, Ron, here in the area, an executive just retired from CTB and founder of the educational software company, Bookette Software. She also leaves her two beloved grandsons, Ken and Ryan, and great-grandchildren, Michelle and Nicholas. Of the eight siblings, she is survived by her three youngest, Dr. Joseph Messineo, Dr. Louis Messineo and Grace Sulkowski. The visitation begins on Thursday, March 6, 2014 at 6 pm followed by the vigil service at 7 pm at Mission Mortuary, 450 Camino El Estero, Monterey. The funeral Mass of Resurrection is in San Carlos Borromeo Cathedral at 9:30 am on Friday, March 7 immediately followed by the brief ceremony of interment at San Carlos Borromeo Cemetery and a noon memorial reception at Tehama.