Maria Diletta "Della" (Cavallini) Urciuoli

“A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary”

Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Maria was born to parents Giovanni and Bianca (Anzalone) Cavallini in 1936 in the small town of Montefalcione, Italy, which is the notable birthplace of the annually celebrated St. Anthony Festival. In 1955, her parents moved the family to America, eventually nestling in the Savin Hill area of Dorchester. In Boston, she met and married Sabino “Sammy” Urciuoli and they raised three children, Anthony, Joanna, and Bianca, who became a part of the fabric of St. William’s Parish in the neighborhood.

First and foremost, Della was a loving caretaker, an expert in motherhood, and somewhat of a second mom to her children’s friends. Her welcoming smile, natural charm, selflessness, generosity, and open-door policy rendered any visitor helpless to forfeit their admirations and respect. Her children’s friends and acquaintances were often treated to gourmet meals even during casual and unscheduled visits to our home including Dorchester Day!

Over the decades, Della orchestrated and catered every holiday celebration for our extended family. Della lived for her family and by any standard, was the backbone of our clan and the strongest force behind her children’s happiness and success!

Following her Italian heritage, Della frequented the North End of Boston with her family to shop ant Boston’s Haymarket and work at the North End Community Center as a Home Care Aid.

Della’s strength in character and spirit derived from her faith. During trying times, her faith in God allowed her to comfort and reassure her children with the same certainty one may have in tomorrow’s sunrise! Her Rosary beads were a fixture on her person. She sent her children to local and prominent Catholic schools. In her later years, she would revel in this accomplishment.

She is one of the millions of eager immigrants who sought and achieved the dream of raising her family in America!

Della was the beloved wife of the late Sabino “Sammy” Urciuoli. She was the loving mother of Anthony and his wife Janice (Melnick) Urciuoli of Harwich, Joanna and her husband John Fulford of Rockland, and Bianca Urciuoli and her longtime companion Michael Casey of Rockland. She was a cherished “Nanny” to Joseph Fulford. She was a devoted sister of Federico and his wife Irene Cavallini of Brocton, and the late Matteo and Antonio Cavallini. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews in the United States, Italy, Canada, and England.

Family and friends will honor and remember Della’s life by gathering for visiting hours in the Murphy Funeral Home, 1020 Dorchester Ave., DORCHESTER, on Friday, October 3, 2025, from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Margaret Church of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, 800 Columbia Road, Dorchester, on Saturday morning, October 4, 2025, at 10:00 A.M. Burial will follow in Forest Hills Cemetery, Jamaica Plain.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Della’s memory may be made to St. Anthony Shrine, 100 Arch Street, Boston, MA 02110.