Obituary of Josephine Fragnoli

Spanning 96 years and two continents, Josephine Fragnoli's life passed on June 9, 2024, peacefully at her home in Geneva, NY. Emigrated from Castelforte, Italy as an infant, her family settled in Cortland, NY. As the family learned life in their new country, eventually she would be blessed with three younger brothers, and found herself helping her mother keep them in line. Vito, a neighbor kid from the same town in Italy, whose family settled in the same community in Cortland, would follow her to school, telling her he was going to marry her. At the time, she wanted nothing to do with him, but eventually Vito's dream came true, and Josephine Falso became Mrs. Vito Fragnoli in 1954. The young family settled in Geneva, NY, Vito running the new business, and Josphine, with her schooling and aptitude for numbers, handling the bookkeeping and running the household. In 1970, at the age of 42, Vito died unexpectedly, leaving Josephine with a business to run and three sons, then aged 15, 13 and 3. She was now faced with challenging new roles as head of the family and business owner. At a time when women took a back seat in the business world, she had to fight competing interests, but was determined to keep the business running to support the family and to eventually hand it over to her sons. In time, all three sons returned to the business, but she continued to show up at work every day until the age of 80. In an era of spreadsheets and QuickBooks, Josephine continued to keep the books by hand, entering the daily transactions in journals where she drew columns with a pencil and ruler -- much to the chagrin of the accountant when at tax time she'd drop a stack of hand-written ledgers on his desk. And, of course, her numbers were spot on. In between journal entries, Josephine was able to find quality time for sitting duties for her grandchildren, who gave her much joy and reprieve from the business world. An accidental fall, surgery to repair a spinal injury and subsequent complications left Josephine in a months-long fight for her life, which she finally won, but forced her into a reluctant retirement. Josephine spent the later years of her life at home, aided by a team of nurses, many of whom became close friends. Josephine's determination led her through social barriers, physical hardships and personal tragedy. Her resilience, perseverance and an unflinching will to live life on her terms set an example for her family, friends and community. During her working years, Josephine served on the board of directors of Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes, Our Lady of Peace Parish Life Council, the board of directors of the Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce, Lincoln Rochester Bank, the City of Geneva Revolving Loan Fund Committee and the board of directors of Geneva Scholarship Associates, for which she was fundraising co-chair. and many other community leadership roles. Unending gratitude goes to her team of loyal and loving nurses who provided care and companionship for 16 years. Josephine was predeceased by husband Vito Fragnoli and brother Anthony Falso Jr of Ocala, FL. She is survived by three sons, Joe & Debra Fragnoli of Fayette, NY, Mark & Suzy Fragnoli of San Diego, CA and Steve & Kristen Fragnoli of Canandaigua, NY; 4 grandchildren, Katelyn Fragnoli of Geneva, NY, Trevor & Tabitha Temple of Lufkin, TX, Jacob Fragnoli of Burlington, VT, and Jessica Fragnoli of Denver, CO; one great grandchild; Blake Temple 2 brothers, Ronnie & Jackie Falso of Schenectady, NY and Frederick & Eva Falso of Clearwater, FL. Services Monday, June 17, 2024, 12:30pm St. Stephens Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Friends of Salvation Army, 41 North Street Geneva NY 14456.