Eleonora Florio

Eleonora (Taliercio) Florio, 80, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family
on November 11, 2020, after a four-year battle with Parkinson’s and other ailments.
In 1958, she emigrated to this country from Ischia, Italy, at the age of 18. She came with her
mother, her brother and her two younger sisters. She didn’t know the language and had little
education. Even so, two days after landing in New York Harbor, she was already working in a
sweater factory to help support the family. From there, she worked at Sperry Rand Corporation
in Quality Control. She stopped working in late 1965 to become a full-time mother and
homemaker. In 1975, while her children were attending school, she started working again at
her husband’s and brother’s grocery store in Darien, all the while continuing to raise her
children and maintain an impeccable home. In 1992, she began and successfully ran her own
drapery business, Curtain Call, for 18+ years. A hardworking emigrant woman, her business and
work accomplishments were many.

Eleonora loved with her whole heart. There was no one she loved more than her husband and
her two children… unless there was a baby in the room. She loved all babies! If there was a
baby in the room, he or she was in her arms. And, if she had to give that baby up to someone
else, she’d linger, waiting for a second chance to hold him or her. When her children were little,
she would sing, “You are My Sunshine” to them. But, when her grandchildren came into this
world, they became her sunshine. She adored “her boys.” She thought that they hung the sun
in the sky just for her. Eleonora would get up at 4am to sew, so that when her daughter came
to work with her grandchildren, Eleonora could just be Nonna. She helped to raise and nurture
her grandchildren. And it shows in the wonderful young men they have become.
Eleonora truly was a good person who always saw good in others. Some testimonials:

“You are a lady of love, Eleanor. You always had a compliment for me. You always
made me feel good.”
“She was always so kind to me, so kind to everyone. In many ways, she was more like a
mother to me than my own mother.”
“I loved her so much. She was such a good lady, such a good friend. Eleanor was always
there for me, even during hard times when my other friends stepped away. I will always
love her.”
Her sister, Lucia often mentioned, “When Tony (Lucia’s son) died, Eleonora came and
took care of me. She got me out of bed and into the shower. She washed my body
while we cried. When I couldn’t do for myself, she did for me.”
Her kindness towards others was boundless and genuine. She never had a bad word to say
about anyone. And, if she thought someone was in distress, she would be the first in line to
comfort them.

Eleonora enjoyed all kinds of occasions: from birthday parties, holiday dinners and weddings;
to vacations up and down the East Coast; to cruises with her friends and family; to trips back
home to Italy. She always had a smile on her face. At parties she would meander from table to
table making sure to spend some time chatting with everyone. She’d be the first to join the
Conga Line or the Chicken Dance or the Tarantella. On vacations, she was quick to join into the
fun. While vacationing in Wildwood with some family friends, the men rented bikes forthemselves and the children one day. But Eleonora and her friend, Jenny, didn’t ride bikes. She spotted these adult-size tricycles, “Come on, Jenny! Let’s rent these!” Ever adventurous, she sat
atop a giant tricycle, riding down the boardwalk, calling after the others to slow down so they
could catch up, laughing all the way.

Eleonora was a beautiful woman, simply elegant. She was generous in every way, not just with
possessions, which she’d gladly hand over to someone in need; but also, with her time and her
talent; and, with her love and her friendship.
Eleonora is survived by her loving husband of 57+ years, Giovanni “John” B Florio; her daughter,
Mary Jane (Dennis) Brannan; her son, Daniel (Nora) Florio; three loving grandsons, Gianni,
Nikolas and Jason Brannan; as well as her sisters, Lucia Trani, Beatrice (Robert) Schriver, Olga
(Michael) Waddock; several brothers- and sisters-in-law and many nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to calling hours Monday, November 16, 2020 from 8:30 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. at the Hoyt-Cognetta/Raymond Funeral Home in Historic Norwalk followed by a Mass of Christian Burial, 11:00 A.M. at St. Jerome Church located on 23 Half Mile Road Norwalk, CT. Entombment will follow at the St. John's Cemetery in Norwalk, CT.