Anita V. LaGamma
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n?e Vitacolonna, and her twin Gloria, were born in 1933 in the Bronx to an Italian immigrant family from Abruzzi.
She was among the first female graduates of the Bronx High School of Science and earned BA and Master's degrees at Fordham University where she forged lifelong friendships with William Lynch SJ and Joan Hauprich.
From 1963, she and the love of her life Robert, a Foreign Service Officer, traveled the world and lived in Rhodesia, Zambia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Senegal, Nigeria and South Africa (at the time of Nelson Mandela) as well as Milan and Florence, Italy. She embraced life in each of these places raising 5 children, teaching school, and writing and publishing poetry.
Anita was a superb cook and host, an avid reader, a lover of birds, and found inspiration and wonder in the grandeur of our National Parks where she hiked with her family. In her poem "A Commotion of Birds" she reflects: "The ancient Greeks believed the soul departs soaring from our mouths as birds. I imagine the kind of bird will depend upon the life we've led."
In 1997 she and her family returned to the US and settled in Reston, VA. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Robert; her children Alisa, Matthew, Therese, Adrian and Florence; her sister Louise and brother Pat; and 6 grandchildren.
She is laid to rest at Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, VA. The family has requested that remembrances be made in the form of contributions to the National Audubon Society.
Arrangements by Enders & Shirley Funeral Home, Berryville. endersandshirley.com