Maria G. Cappelletti, 89, of Junction City, Kansas, passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 18, 2022. A memorial mass will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday, December 28, 2022, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church with Fr. Sam Etim officiating. Inurnment will follow after the mass at Ft. Riley Post Cemetery. A reception will take place at the Elk's Lodge, BPOE 1037 from 2 to 5 p.m. Memorial contributions are suggested to be given to the St. Jude Children's Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105.
Maria was born on December 12, 1933, in Trieste, Italy to Luigi and Augusta Bertucci.
In 1953, Maria met an Italian-American soldier, Vittorio Cappelletti Jr., in San Benedetto del Tronto. Shortly after they married, Maria immigrated to the United States where she and Victor went on to have three daughters, Nancy, Cristiana, and Rosemarie.
Becoming an American citizen came with its own struggles and curiosities, like learning English from soap operas on T.V. and trying peanut butter for the first time. No matter the challenges, Maria had a way of making the best of it.
In 1999, Maria retired from the U.S.D 475 School District and spent her time traveling, being an active "Nonna" to her seven granddaughters, contributing to her sorority, and playing Bridge, Mahjong, and Bunco with family and friends.
Maria was preceded in death by her husband, Vittorio Cappelletti and her daughter, Cristiana Cappelletti-Curry.
She is survived by her daughters: Nancy (LTG Mitchell) Stevenson of Fairfax, Virginia and Rosemarie (Robert) Norris of Junction City, Kansas; one brother, Marcello (Pinuccia) Bertucci from Italy; seven granddaughters: Patricia Stevenson of Maryland, Jessica (Jim) Irwin, Danielle (Brandon) Williams, Kayla (Rogers), Taylor Curry all from Colorado, Maria (Tristan) Flowers of Los Angeles, California, Jessica (Jay) Norris of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, and four great grandsons: Michael, Liam, Levi of Chesapeake, Virginia and Colt of Colorado Springs, Colorado.