March 27 1924 December 8 2021
Obituary Beatrice Caterina Nizzi, 97, of Ames, Iowa and formerly of rural Madrid, Iowa, passed away Wednesday, December 8, 2021, at the Mary Greeley Israel Family Hospice House in Ames. Visitation will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 A.M. Monday, December 13, 2021, at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, 2900 Hoover Ave., Ames. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 A.M. Monday at the church. The Mass will be livestreamed and may be viewed on Beatrice’s Tribute Wall on the Adams Funeral Home website. Facemasks and social distancing are required. Burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery, Madrid, Iowa. Beatrice was born on March 27, 1924, to Joseph and Laura (Nizzi) Donati near Fiumalbo (Modena) Italy. Over her ten decades of life, she navigated some formidable challenges, experienced the sweet blessings of family and friends, and lived through historic times. Her childhood was spent in the mountains of northern Italy where the family raised their own food, chestnuts and wild mushrooms were gathered seasonally, and skiing was a familiar way of travelling to the nearby village of Fiumalbo. It was a time when grain was harvested and milled by hand, and food was prepared on an open fireplace in their stone-hewed home filled with furniture handmade by her grandfather. She later worked as a nanny for a family in Florence. In the late 1930’s, Beatrice’s father and brother, Giovanni, had come to the United States to work, with the plan of having the family join them later. However, the start of WWII made this impossible and prevented any communication between the family members for five years. Beatrice would later recount stories of the military occupation of Fiumalbo and the hardships it brought. In 1947, Beatrice, her mother, Laura, and sisters, Lucrezia and Maria Rosa, boarded a military transport ship in Genoa for a 20-day voyage to New York. The family settled in Highwood, Illinois, where many other Italians lived and shared the language, food, and culture of the “old country”. In 1949, she married Frank J. Nizzi in Granger, Iowa, where they lived and worked on their farm for almost 50 years. There they raised three daughters who were immersed in the Italian culture that their parents recreated. Italian was spoken at home; a big garden was planted every spring; and the kitchen was always full of pasta-making, baking biscotti, and smells of sauces and soup. Farm neighbors were often the beneficiaries of her cooking and produce during visits. Beatrice and Frank worked hard to assure that their daughters would be able to attend college and achieve the next level of the American dream. In 1976, Beatrice became a U.S. citizen. She was a proud American, but never lost her distinct Italian accent. After her husband passed away in 1998, Beatrice moved to Ames to be closer to family. Her tradition of sharing her biscotti and homemade pasta was then extended to the many friends she made in Ames and Iowa City, as well as the many caring health professionals that helped her navigate her health challenges in later life. Those left to cherish Beatrice’s memory are daughters, Loretta Benz of Iowa City, Marisa Jones (Scott) of Ames, and Linda Giambi (Andrea) of Minnesota. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Eric Jones (Sara), Kathryn Benz (Michael Hand), Marcus Jones (Nicol), Cristina Benz, and Stephan Giambi; and beloved great-grandchildren, Carter Jones, Gianna Jones, Grant Jones, Dominic Jones, Emmett Hand, and Katelyn Jones. Surviving sisters are Lucrezia Nizzi and Maria Rosa Bernardi. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Frank; and brother, Giovanni. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Mary Greeley Israel Family Hospice House of Ames or St. Cecilia Catholic Church. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Adams Funeral Home. An archived version of the mass, can be viewed on Beatrice’s Tribute Wall at www.adamssoderstrum.com, where people can also offer online condolences to the family. To send flowers to the family of Beatrice Caterina Nizzi please visit our Tribute Store. Read more
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Beatrice Caterina Nizzi March 27 1924 December 8 2021.
Death notice for the town of: Ames, state: Iowa