Barbara Witham

Barbara Witham , age 78, of Saugus died Friday, December 1 at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital surrounded by her loving family after a long and courageous battle with illness.

Born in Cambridge on August 23, 1939, she was the daughter of the late Attilio and Mary (Guglietti) Donatio.

Mrs. Witham grew up in East Cambridge where she was blessed to have the love and care of her parents as well as her seven older sisters and brothers. She attended the Kelley Grammar School in Cambridge and was a graduate of the Cambridge High and Latin School Class of 1957. After school, Mrs. Witham was married and raised three children in Malden. While her children were in school, she made a career at the Almy's Department Store in Revere where she eventually became a Department Manager. After moving to Saugus in 1979, she worked for John Hancock Insurance in Boston before starting her own home cleaning business that she maintained into her early seventies. In her late forties and early fifties, Mrs. Witham enjoyed her Friday nights with her high school girlfriends. It was on one of these occasions that she met her husband Mel and they were married in 1991. The couple enjoyed 20 years of marriage together before Mel passed away in 2011.

Mrs. Witham's joy of her life was her family. She was the devoted mother to her three children, Douglas, Lisa, and Kristina and mother-in-law to Joan. She was the loving grandmother to her four grandchildren, Anthony, Andrew, Joseph, and Julia. She loved Cape Cod and was forever grateful for the summer house there that she maintained with her daughter Kristina. She was at her happiest when her children and grandchildren came together with her at her home in Saugus and on the Cape. Her Italian cooking was second to none and her calamari pizza and broccoli rabe were just some of the loves of the family. After she "retired" to run her cleaning business, she raised her grandchildren Andrew and Joseph while her daughter Lisa worked. The impact she had on her grandchildren is immeasurable and they are forever grateful for the love and wisdom she shared with them during their time together. In her final years, Mrs. Witham lived in her house in Saugus with her two daughters and her grandchildren Andrew and Joseph.

In addition to her daughters Lisa and Kristina, her daughter-in-law Joan, and her grandchildren Anthony, Andrew, Joseph, and Julia, Mrs. Witham is survived by her brother Albert Donatio and his wife Louise of Everett and many loving nieces and nephews and her lifelong friends. In her passing she joins her loving husband Mel and her son Douglas and her brothers and sisters, Angelina Parker, Americo Donatio, Joseph Donatio, Theresa Trigilio, Josephine DiTrapano, and Carmella Errico.

Her Funeral Service will be held in the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Tuesday at 1PM. Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the Funeral Home, prior to the service beginning at 11AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Palliative Care Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

December 05, 2017
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

McDonald Funeral Home
19 Yale Ave
Wakefield, MA 01880
(781) 245-3550

December 05, 2017
1:00 PM

McDonald Funeral Home
19 Yale Ave
Wakefield, MA 01880
(781) 245-3550