Marlene Mary Muccino Of Los Alamitos Remembered By Loved Ones

LOS ALAMITOS, CA — Marlene Mary Muccino, a beloved mother, grandmother and great grandmother, died Saturday, June 6, in her sleep at her Los Alamitos home. She was 86.

Marlene was born on May 14, 1934 to John and Anna Owca in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She moved to California in 1970 with her husband and five children, and lived in her Rossmoor home ever since.

She graduated from Saint Mary’s College and became a Registered Nurse before going on to work at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut.

Like many nurses, Marlene was a naturally caring person. She was extremely loving and took great pride in caring for her husband and five children, and became a devoted grandmother and great grandmother later in life.

Marlene could often be found tending to her garden, and loved to knit and crochet. Her beautiful, intricately-crafted blankets will remain a cherished family heirloom forever.

She was also an avid reader, as evidenced by the stack of books that waited for her on her back patio where she spent many warm afternoons relaxing and enjoying the sounds of birds in her backyard.

When she wasn’t reading or relaxing on the patio, you could find her watching basketball and football. Her favorite football team was the Rams, until later in life when she switched to the Patriots. Her favorite football players were John Elway and Peyton Manning, and her favorite basketball players were Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Isaiah Thomas and more recently, LeBron James.

More than anything in life, she was a faithful Catholic and child of God. She felt so blessed to be in the Cursillo with her husband and her close friends and loved to attend Mass. She looked forward to receiving the Holy Eucharist as often as she possibly could, and she prayed often and hard for everyone every day. Marlene also loved to recount a handful of special experiences in which God had saved her. She had two guardian angels named Gus and Elizabeth.

"We will honor her memory by remembering her funny sense of humor, sound advice and support, her strength and sass, and her loving devotion to her family and the Lord," a family spokesperson told Patch.

Ever since the love of her life passed away in 2004, she yearned to see him in Heaven — now, they are reunited for eternity, eating Italian food and sipping wine together again. She is preceded in death by her husband John Anthony Muccino, M.D., daughter Karen Ann Muccino, and sister Ann Cipriano.

She is survived by her sisters Joan Mott and Barbara DeBlasio; daughters Donna Prochnow, Lori Abu-Dayyeh and Debra Holland; son John Muccino; as well as her grandson Neil Prochnow; granddaughters Emily Holland, Alyssa Holland and Misa Prochnow; and great grandson Samuel Prochnow.

A family-only graveside burial will be held Wednesday, June 17, at All Souls Mortuary in Long Beach, California.