Elda Gennari Virgilio, 92, of Berkshire Place died June 11, 2023 surrounded by those who cared for her. Elsa was born in West Stockbridge on October 29, 1930 and baptized at St. Patrick’s, the daughter of Giuseppe and Maria Peretti Gennari. She and her family moved to Italy in 1935, where she attended schools and was raised on the family farm. She moved back to the U.S. aboard the ship Atlantic in 1950. All of her siblings migrated to the U.S., while their parents remained in Marola, in the Veneto Region of Italy.
Elda married Benjamin Virgilio on February 16, 1952.
She worked alongside her sister, Erma, at Scheaffer-Eaton in Pittsfield. She then opened and operated Benny’s in Dalton with her husband, Benny, and her brother, Bruno. In the early 1970s, they sold the restaurant/bar to her younger brother, Angelo, and his wife, Kathie.
In 1981, Elda and Benny moved to Cape Cod, where he enjoyed clamming, cooking, and having family visits. They returned to Pittsfield in 1993. Elda was happy when she was cooking. She enjoyed making her own pasta, sauce, risotto, biscotti, pizzelle, and crostoli. In her younger years, she liked to pick mushrooms and grow tomatoes and can them for use throughout the year. She liked to travel to Italy and visited France, Greece, and Turkey. She took several trips with Benny’s niece, Marianne Virgilio Bishop, who predeceased her. Although Elda and Benny never had children, they enjoyed close relationships with many nieces and nephews. She was very thankful for her neighbors that looked out for her over the years. She was loved by the staff at Berkshire Place, as was shown immensely through the last days of her life. Elda was a communicant of Sacred Heart Church in Pittsfield.
Elda leaves one brother, Angelo Gennari. She also leaves her brother-in-law, Dino Rigon, and her sister-in-law, Virginia Gennari.
Besides her parents, she is predeceased by her sisters, Mary, Erma, and Elena, and her brothers, Antonio (and spouse Rosalia), Remo (and spouse Clara), Bruno, and Mario.
A funeral mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church in Pittsfield on Friday, June 16 at 12:30 p.m. Burial will follow in St. Joseph’s Cemetery. There are no calling hours. Donations may be made to Sacred Heart Church in care of Roche Funeral Home, 120 Main Street, Lenox, MA 01240.
