Kathleen Bilotta Obituary, Death – On December 10, 2022, Kathleen T. (Becrelis) Bilotta, who was 96 years old at the time of her passing, passed away in the company of her family. She was the class salutatorian when she graduated from Leominster High School in 1944 and was born in Leominster on December 6, 1926. Her parents, George and Marion (LaPrade) Becrelis, were teachers at the school. Kitty, as she was fondly known, was a true matriarch who was devoted to her huge family as well as her unyielding faith. She is survived by her eleven children: Lisa Bilotta Kunkel, James Bilotta and his wife Elena, Anthony Bilotta and his wife Mary Beth, Mary Bilotta Blackman and her husband Bob, Linda Harmon and her husband David, all of Leominster; David Bilotta and his wife MaryEllen of Fitchburg; Claudia Neithercut and her husband Jim, and George Bilotta and his husband, Michael McGrenra, all of West Boylston; Deborah
In addition, she leaves behind 26 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and a cherished friend named Gilda Simeoni who resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kitty’s five sisters, Frances Theriault, Alice Eickhorst, Irene Becrelis, Helen Gamache, and Patricia Pothier, as well as her husband of 49 years, Vincent M. Bilotta II, all passed away before she did. Kitty’s marriage lasted for 49 years. She placed a strong emphasis on both her family and her beliefs. She had the ambition of being the first person to arrive at a family gathering and the last one to go. Her children blame her for the fact that they all have a craving for sweets, and they hold her responsible. Her fervent belief in God served as a compass for her journey through life, and she instilled that same profound faith in many of her offspring. She was very involved in the life of Saint Anna Church, serving as a member of the Charismatic Prayer Group and Women’s Aglow, in addition to being a Eucharistic Minister and a Cursillo Leader.
Throughout her life, Kitty worked a few different occupations. As she was growing up, she would assist her father at the Boston Confectionery Store that the family owned. She worked for the telephone company while she and her new husband were living in Los Angeles for a brief period of time. And over the years, she worked as a part-time transporter at Leominster Hospital, a clerk at R.H. White’s, and at a neighborhood cafe where she served coffee in order to gain some time away from the responsibilities of her home life. She was a big fan of the ocean, especially Rye Beach, as well as the warmth of the sun, which she could enjoy from the window of her living room or from the prized glassed-in carport. But being in the company of young children, especially her great-granddaughter Aria, brought out some of her brightest smiles.
Her heart had always been at home in the mountains. With the help of her children and grandchildren, most notably her son’s wife, Elena, she was able to remain living in the house that she and her husband had constructed in 1954 until the day she passed away. On Monday, December 19, from 4 to 7 o’clock in the evening, family and friends are invited to pay their respects at the Brandon Funeral Home, which is located at 305 Wanoosnoc Road in Fitchburg. On Tuesday, December 20, at 11 o’clock in the morning, a funeral Mass will be performed in Saint Anna Church, which is located at 199 Lancaster Street in Leominster. The funeral service will be followed by a burial service at St. Leo’s Cemetery, which is located at 360 Lancaster Street in Leominster. Donations in memory of the deceased may be made to Our Father’s Table, located at 40 Boutelle Street in Fitchburg. In lieu of flowers, please send your contribution.
