Josephine M. D’Amico, 83, died Sunday, March 17, in Elmhurst Memorial Hospital of coronary arrhythmia. She was born and raised in Chicago to Sicilian immigrants. The sixth of nine children, Mrs. D’Amico stayed home from school to help with the family, said her son Donald D’Amico. “Several married siblings came to live with her family. … It was her job to bake the bread for this large family,” her son said. When she was 27, she left her family home to marry Raymond D’Amico in 1945. The couple had three sons and moved to the west side of Chicago. To support her young family, she became a waitress at the Chateau Royale and the Oak Park Club after her husband died in 1961. “She was extremely successful at running large weddings and ultimately became head waitress while being totally dedicated to her three sons,” Donald D’Amico said. In 1976, she moved to Elmhurst where she became involved with St. Alexander Catholic Church in Villa Park and was a member of Mary’s Circle. “Complaining was not an option. She said life was imperfect, but you made the best of it and that required effort,” her son said. She is also survived by two other sons, Raymond and Andrew; two sisters, Jennie Picone and Lena Marino; a brother, Salvatore Digate; and five grandchildren. Services have been held.
