Visitation Information

Grace Castagna

Passed away on October 20, 2020

Grace Castagna, Homemaker, Caregiver, Legal Secretary, Life-Teacher and Lover of Life

With the passing into eternal life of Grace Castagna on Tuesday morning, October 20, 2020, the 108 year chapter of the first generation of the Trapani Family born in the United States to Italian immigrant parents has come to its conclusion.

Grace Theresa Trapani, the youngest of the five children of Salvo Anacleto Trapani and Rosaria Camercanna Trapani, was born in Brooklyn, New York on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, 1923.  Her four siblings, and the years of their births, were  Rose (1912), Theresa (1915), Peter (1917), and Mary (1920). 

Educated in the New York City public schools, Grace graduated from the all-girls Bay Ridge High School after which she went to a commercial secretarial school. During World War II, while not a veteran, Grace worked as a secretary for a lawyer at the Brooklyn Navy Yard where her future husband, Rudy, also worked.

Despite Rudy's dad, Romualdo, a New York City tailor, passing away during the week preceding their planned wedding causing the cancellation of their wedding reception, Rudy and Grace were married as planned on June 24, 1945.  They lived in Brooklyn in the Bath Beach section of Bensonhurst, practically in the shadows of today's Verrazano-Narrows Bridge connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island. "Grace and Rudy"; "Rudy and Grace" were inseparable. They did everything with and for each other. It is impossible to tell one spouse's story without including the other!

The first generation of the Trapani Family was close-knit with four of the siblings' families living in apartments in the row home owned by Grace's parents! 

Grace and Rudy had two sons, Robert (Bob), born in the worst New York City blizzard at that time on December 26, 1947 and Ronald (Ron), born on a much more pleasant sunny and warm November 5, 1954, both sons born in Shore Road Hospital overlooking the Narrows at the entrance to the New York City Harbor and the nearby Statue of Liberty. 

Grace supported Rudy's career as an accountant for Lever Brothers in the iconic modern glass "skyscaper" known as Lever House in New York City.

With the post World War II baby-boom underway with the move to suburbia, in 1962 Rudy and Grace bought his sister Rose and brother-in-law George Howland's home in Baldwin, Long Island, New York--all of 30 miles east.  Their Baldwin home on Archer Place, a two-bedroom Cape Cod home with finished basement and unfinished attic, was located on a quiet suburban street, with Milburn Park and Pond at the end of the street, and Milburn School two blocks away where afternoon and evening games of stick ball were held against the school wall!  Quite a contrast from the multiple apartment row home in Brooklyn!

Grace and Rudy emphasized education for their sons, sending them to St. Bernadette School in Brooklyn from which Bob graduated and Baldwin's St. Christopher's School where Ron graduated. 

When it came time to send their sons to college, Grace who had been a homemaker raising two sons, taking care of husband and home, and being a most gracious and frequent hostess of family and friends, decided she would go back to work to defray Bob and Ron's college expenses.  Grace walked about a half mile to the local bus for about a twenty minute ride to the eastern adjacent town of Freeport where she worked in women's fashions for a local department store and a women's clothing store. After a few years, Grace decided to return to her secretarial skills and worked in the western adjacent town of Rockville Centre as a legal secretary. Grace and Rudy's emphasis on education, their dedication and personal sacrifice was impressed on Bob and Ron, resulting in Bob graduating from New York's Fordham Univ. in 1969 and Ron graduating from Colorado State Univ. in 1976. Bob eventually received his law degree in 1975 from Catholic Law; and Ron received his M.S. degree in Industrial Technologies from CSU and his educator's Administrative Certificate from the Univ. of Colorado. 

Grace and Rudy warmly welcomed Bob and Ron's friends and spouses into their home, increasing their family size with Bob's August 20, 1971 marriage to Susan Amato in Portland, Oregon and Ron's marriage to Deborah Miller in St. Louis, Missouri on July 10, 1982.  Grace, Rudy and Ron took their first flight in 1971, flying non-stop from New York's Kennedy airport to Portland for Bob and Sue's wedding   Now that was a memorable way to introduce themselves to flying!  Wanting to include their extended New York family members in both son's weddings, Grace and Rudy hosted New York wedding receptions for both newly-wed sons and spouses on Long Island the weekend after the weddings in Portland and St. Louis.

Rudy continued to work at Lever Brothers until he retired in 1981. Grace's parents were still living in Brooklyn; and with her siblings, Grace and Rudy cared for her Mom and Dad. For the next five years, on the weekends Rudy and Grace travelled the 30 miles to Brooklyn to care for her parents. The family joke was that the car could drive itself through the New York heavy weekend traffic from Baldwin to Brooklyn and back, sometimes via the traffic-avoiding route through the Rockaways in Queens, to get to and from Grandma and Grandpa's home.

Family always came first to Grace and Rudy.  They loved and lived for their family. Grace's Italian cooking skills were a big hit with many a family feast with the extended family in the "basement" at Grandma and Grandpa's home in Brooklyn and at Grace and Rudy's homes in Baldwin and Aurora, Colorado with family and friends frequent dinner guests.

Grace and Rudy embraced and loved their roles as Grandma and Grandpa.  They were thrilled at welcoming their three grandchildren:  Bob and Sue's son, Christian, and daughter, Carolyn; and Ron and Debbie's son, Ryan. The family size continued to expand with Christian's marriage to Nicole Gattone of Chicago, who met at Marquette, and Carolyn's marriage to Brian Benitez who met in Brooklyn, New York.  Somehow Brooklyn, New York is in our family's roots and keeps entering and re-entering the family history and story!  Ron and Debbie's son Ryan and partner Jenny expand Grace's Colorado family. What a legacy during Grace's 97 years "young-in-spirit" life filled with love, care giving, and personal sacrifice!

Grace was doubly honored in her role as Great-Grandma with Christian and Nicole's children, Juliana, Lauryn, Natalie and Nicholas; and Carolyn and Brian's son Sloan!  Grandma Grace left quite a legacy with two dedicated sons, two loving and wonderful daughters-in-law who cared for her every need in their homes,  three loving and admiring grandchildren and five blessed and loving great-grandchildren! 

Grace and Rudy loved and taught us well the importance of family. love, education, sacrifice, and serving others. After Bob and Sue moved to Oregon, he worked for the Oregon Legislature and then ran for the Oregon Legislature in 1984. Grace and Rudy traveled from New York, helped daily on the campaign and lived in Portland with Bob, Sue, Christian and Carolyn for about 3 months. As Rudy was fond of saying:  "We are here to serve."  After Bob narrowly lost the primary election by 23 votes to the spouse of the incumbent, Portland's Archbishop Power invited Bob to serve as the General Counsel and Executive Director of the Oregon Catholic Conference where he served for nearly 22 years, retiring from that position in 2006 and having served as the President of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors.  

After Rudy's 70th Birthday on May 16, 1986, Rudy and Grace decided to move to Colorado to live close to Ron and Debbie in Aurora, CO since there were no other extended family members living in Colorado.  Bob and Sue lived in Portland, OR, Sue's hometown, with her large extended Amato and Moll family histories and traditions. Ron and Debbie took excellent care of Mom and Dad in Colorado including them in many activities associated with Ron's being a high school principal in Lakewood, Colorado.   In 2012, Ron was named the Colorado High School Principal of the Year, with accompanying awards from the US Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

Grace and Rudy celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on June 24, 1995 with a special anniversary blessing at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Aurora, Colorado and the presentation of a framed Papal Apostolic Blessing bestowed on them by Pope John Paul II.  

For about 8.5 years, until his passing away from Alzheimer's Disease on August 10, 1997, Grace was Rudy's at-home daily care giver, receiving home help from Hospice Care during the last few months.  In order to maintain her independence, to take Rudy to the doctor's offices for medical care, and to be able to do shopping, Grace received her driver's license for the first time at age 69 thanks to the most patient and dedicated instruction of Debbie, Ron's wife, a kindergarten teacher!  Debbie's patient instruction made all the difference!  At age 70, Grace bought herself a compact car and learned how to drive around the Aurora and Denver areas, avoiding freeway driving to the maximum extent possible.  

During Pope John Paul II's visit to the 1993 World Youth Day Gathering in Denver, Grace and Rudy were personally blessed by Pope John Paul II at the gathering in McNichols Arena, former home of the Denver Nuggets. 

From 2016-2018, Grace lived with Ron and Debbie, and then relocated to St. John, Indiana to live with Bob and Sue. 

We are grateful God blessed us in life with Grace as our Mom, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother. Mom and Dad were and are great life-teachers, lovers of life, family and friends. They were truly with us, and also taught us by their example, to serve others.

When she was hospitalized following her collapse on August 8, her grandson Ryan called her and she told him:  "Ryan, I'm going on a trip."  Grace has wanted to be reunited with Rudy for a long time since his passing in 1997.  God has granted her wish.  Rudy is waiting for her with open arms.  Let the reunited Wedding Feast begin!  

Let us rejoice, celebrate and give thanks for God's gifts to us in the lives of Grace and her husband, Rudy.  We give thanks to God for Grace and Rudy, our Mom and Dad.   

Deo Gratias. Amen. Alleluia!!! 

Visitation Friday, October 23, 2020 from 7-9 pm with a prayer service at 7:30 pm at the Elmwood Funeral Chapel 11300 W. 97^th LN (1/2 block west of US 41/Wicker Ave. at 97^th LN.) St. John.  Mass of Christian Burial Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 1:00 pm (CST) DIRECTLY at St. John the Evangelist Church 10701 Olcott Ave. St John.  Interment Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Please see the link below for the live stream.

N.B. No flowers, please.  In lieu of flowers, contributions are suggested to: 

Franciscan Health Foundation – Northern Indiana

2050 North Main Street, Suite A

Crown Point, IN 46307

In the check's Memo line, please write:  IMO Grace Castagna, Franciscan Hospice Care.

For more information, please call Elmwood Funeral Chapel at 219-365-3474

If you are unable to attend the funeral mass in person, please click the following link to live stream the mass at: https://youtu.be/4qnoiX4c2Lc.  Again, the funeral mass will be held at 1:00 pm CST on Saturday, October 24, 2020.