Published in the February 27, 2020 edition.
WAKEFIELD — Aurora O. Devine, 91, a longtime Wakefield resident, died Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at the Winchester Hospital.
Born in Avellino, Italy on December 18, 1928 she was the daughter of the late Nicola and Filomena (Dragonetti) Cresta. The family moved to the United States in 1939, where they settled in Wakefield and raised their family.
Aurora was educated in Wakefield and was a member of St. Florence Church. At the age of 17, she was working at her family’s farm when William Devine arrived to board his horses. The two fell in love and were married in 1946 and they too settled in Wakefield and raised a family of their own. Aurora was an adoring wife and loving mother. She loved cooking, sewing, knitting, and crocheting. Her family remembers the beautiful blankets she would knit for each new member of the family. She also loved country western music and alongside her husband, they ran the Pioneer Club; a well-known music club in its time.
She was the beloved wife of the late William B. Devine Sr., with whom she shared 69 wonderful years of marriage. She was the loving mother of Carol Fisher and her husband Mike of Wakefield, Rita Malmsten and her husband Charles of N.H., Judith Devine Ellis and her husband Joel Backon of Conn., and William B. Devine Jr. and his wife Patricia of Methuen. She was the sister of Mario Cresta of Wakefield, John Cresta of N.H., and the late Rosie Bruno, Grace Jensen, Mary Gross, and Larry, Sam, Nicholas, Charles, and Armando Cresta. She is also survived by eight grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and two great great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her son-in-law, Richard W. Ellis, III.
A memorial service will be celebrated in St. Florence Church, 47 Butler Ave., Wakefield on Saturday at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. There will be no calling hours. Interment will be private. Arrangements in the care of the McDonald Funeral Home, Wakefield.
