Gilda (Emmediato) DiCaprio

Gilda (Emmediato) DiCaprio passed away on Christmas Day, December 25, 2023 at 98 years old after a short illness. She was born to Sabato “Sam” and Amalia (Fortino) Emmediato in May of 1925 in Syracuse on the block where she lived her entire life. She was predeceased by her parents and two husbands, Anthony Nigro and Gerald DiCaprio as well as four sisters, Fanny Barber, Edith Fiori, Clara Hanley and Norma DeGregorio. Gilda is survived by her four daughters, Joanne “Joey” Nigro-Nilsen (John Nilsen), Amelia Nigro (Joseph Oppedisano), Lucia Nigro Maloof (Bear Foote) and Chele Nigro Stirpe (Albert); 9 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren, along with many nieces and nephews. A graduate of North High School where she was known as “Hilda,” Gilda retired in 1993 from the NYS General Services Department at the Hughes State Office Building in downtown Syracuse. But a retiring lifestyle was not for her! She insisted on remaining totally independent and well into her nineties she seemed to have the energy of a 30-year-old with an interest in people and in life that was boundless! Three hundred and sixty-five days a year were barely enough to fit in all the things she just had to do! Daily coffee with friends at McD’s in North Syracuse; attending every downtown festival or concert; movies at the Hollywood; group trips to anywhere and everywhere; committee meetings; luncheons with friends and various organizations; picking berries in Baldwinsville. Gilda loved music and dancing. And as long as she was able to lift it, played the accordion her mother bought for her in 1933, a beautiful instrument with a mother-of-pearl front panel and her name in rhinestones. And did she love to cook! She hosted weekly family Sunday brunch as well as frequent dinners for family and friends. So you might find her baking a pie for the next day...at 11:00 pm(!) which meant that she’d have to make a late run to the grocery store for the ingredients. More than a little trusting, she never worried about being out at all hours and brushed off pleading phone calls from her daughters who were tracking her whereabouts day and night as she tooled around in her Subaru. Gilda was a huge supporter of her beloved North Side. She served on the board of directors of the Butternut Community Police Center, a North Side after-school youth program for at-risk youth until it closed in 2018. She was also active with the Danforth-Pond-Butternut Task Force. Retired City of Syracuse Police Officer Kenn Burdick said, “Any opportunity she had to contribute to improvements to the North Side of Syracuse, she was in.” “She was a treasure,” he added. As a proud daughter of Italian immigrants, she was also a member of the Daughters of Columbus and the American Italian Heritage Association and traveled to Italy many times. Gilda had many, many friends...young and old...who all say she was an inspiration. She was thoughtful, with a willing and sympathetic ear and always with a ready smile. She was a very strict mother, but, of course, a doting grandmother. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her but “Gilda stories” will be remembered for a long time to come. Calling hours will be held on Friday, December 29, 2023 from 4:00 – 7:00 pm at the THOMAS J. PIRRO JR. FUNERAL HOME, 3401 Vickery Rd. (corner of Buckley Rd.) North Syracuse, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 11:00 am on Saturday, December 30, 2023 at Our Lady of Pompei/St. Peter Church, 301 Ash St., Syracuse, NY. She will be laid to rest in Woodlawn Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Our Lady of Pompei/St. Peter Church Building Fund at 920 North McBride Street, Syracuse, NY 13208.

Gilda (Emmediato) DiCaprio

May 31, 1925 - December 25, 2023