Frances “Gina” Saffioti, born July 20, 1924, in New Haven at Grace New Haven Hospital, passed away at Connecticut Hospice on April 13. She was predeceased by her husband of 69 years, Gennaro Saffioti; her parents Louis and Maria Germanese; her sister Louise Forte; and Vincent Germanese (Mary), her brother. There was a sister she never met in life who was also named Frances.

She is survived by her sons Louis (Diane) and Paul (Cathy) Saffioti; and grandchildren Michael (Weslie), Robert (Allee), Christopher (Elizabeth), Jennifer (Joe), and Nicholas (Danielle). She is also survived by great-grandchildren Allie, Grey, Taylor, and Justin; her nephews Louis (Nancy) and Andy (Debbie) Forte; nieces Julie Germanese and Fran Shuster; and her cousin Fran (Howard) Reitman.

A set of damaged ligaments at birth rendered her right arm unusable, but she never let that stop her from living a full life. She lived through the Depression, helping her father in his store (eating the candy), went to college at a time when women didn’t necessarily do that, raised two boys while working full time and still had the energy to cook for every holiday she could. Music always filled her home as she reminded us often that “Life is just a bowl of cherries.”

For many years she was the office manager at Perri Sausage and then worked for her cousin at Reitman Personnel prior to retiring. She volunteered for the VITA program, a program for those who could not afford or understand how to do their taxes, and tutored English-speaking immigrants so that they could learn our native language.

She leaves a legacy of fiscal responsibility, being fair and moral, charity, and especially love of family. Her greatest joy was being with family. She loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren so much, it made her face light up when she saw them. She is now with the love of her life and will be missed but not forgotten by everyone she touched.

A special thank you to the staff at Connecticut Hospice in Branford for their caring and professional manner while helping our mother on her journey. In lieu of flowers, please donate to this wonderful organization. Also, thank you to Erika and the staff at Home Instead for treating our mother with respect and dignity these last few years, and to the staff at The Village at Mariner point in East Haven.

The funeral service will be conducted in the North Haven Funeral Home, 36 Washington Ave., on April 20 at 11:30 a.m. Family and friends may call from 9:00 a.m. until time of service. Interment will follow in All Saints Cemetery. For an online obituary, visit www.northhavenfuneral.com.