Emilia M. Previtera

Emilia (Martello) Previtera, 88, wife of the late Salvatore Previtera passed away on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 (after a valiant three year battle with cancer).

Born with dual Italian/American citizenship on December 26, 1934 in Gasperina, Catanzaro, Calabria, Italy she was the daughter of the late Saverio and Teresa (Papasodero) Martello.

As a young child in rural Italy, she was raised in a multi-generational household with strong matriarchal role models. She was given a basic (but envied) education and was taught to cook, clean and live off the land. While in Italy, she also experienced the German and Allied occupations and bombings of WWII.

In order to retain U.S. citizenship, Emilia traveled to the States alone at the age of 15 on the MS Vulcania. Though she was able to live with relatives in the New Jersey/Philadelphia area, she had to immediately begin working as a seamstress in order to pay room and board, as well as begin saving to help her parents immigrate to the United States.  She actually met Sal, her husband of 59 years, when she rented an apartment from him for herself and her parents.

During their marriage, Emilia and Sal lived in South Carolina, Philadelphia, and Huntingdon, PA. In 1976, they purchased Beach Court Apartments in Wildwood, New Jersey. Emilia operated and managed the business during the summer months until 1997. From 1997-2014, Emilia primarily cared for her husband as his health deteriorated due to Parkinson’s disease. After his death, she moved to Limerick, PA where she was a member of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish. 

Emilia loved to cook, bake, can, sew, knit, clean, grow herbs, pray, and care for her family. She excelled at all. Her strength and resilience, her no-nonsense, commonsense approach to life, her love of family and her unwavering faith in God will never be forgotten.

She is survived by 2 daughters:
Maria wife of Al French;
Teresa wife of Dr. Michael Cesare;

3 Grandchildren:
Amanda wife of William Horton;
Dr. Alexandra Cesare wife of Evan Yetter;
Amalia Cesare wife of Ken Groninger.

4 Great-grandchildren, Emilie Horton, Luciana Yetter, Rose Groninger, and Nathan Groninger.

Brother, Giovanni Martello.

Relatives and friends are invited to her Funeral Mass in St. Ann Church, 502 S. Main Street, Phoenixville, PA 19460 on Monday, May 22, 2023 at 11:00 am.

Burial will follow at 1:00 pm in Sunset Memorial Park, 333 W. County Line Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA.

A viewing will be held in church on Monday from 9:45 to 10:45 am.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be given to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Emilia's name at https://pages.lls.org/bigclimb/epa/bigclimbphilly23/TheOldasDirtsforHurts.