Wilma Niosi passed away peacefully at home on July 17, 2019, after a 9 month battle with cancer. Mom was born on July 8, 1937 in Fiume, Italy. She and her sister Leda came to the US in 1950 through the World Council of Churches as refugee children. They ended up together in Bremerton living with 2 sisters, June and Winnifred, both teachers. She graduated from Bremerton High School and attended Olympic College. She spent most summers at the teacher’s cabin on Hood Canal, and traveled back and forth to Italy a few times with hopes of bringing her father to the US. In 1959, in her travels to Italy, she also met (again) and started a relationship with Leo. (I say again because Leo and Wilma had actually first met in 1945 ). However, Leo was 11 years old and wanted nothing to do with girls! Eventually they all did make it back to the Bremerton area with her father, staying on a small farm between Gorst and Belfair. Wilma was always an adventurous person- in 1960 she made her way down to Denver to join her good friend Joyce. There, she found her way to becoming a stewardess (politically correct back then), for United Airlines. When Leo and Wilma married in 1962, her flying days were over, as back then, stewardesses were not allowed to marry. Leo and Wilma soon settled in the big city of Tacoma, bought a house, and eventually started their family. After marriage, Wilma went to work for Puget Sound National Bank, then moved on to American Reinforced Plastics, where she was the bookkeeper until her retirement in 2002. After she retired, Leo and Wilma spent many winter months in Mazatlan, but always returned home so mom could tend to her yard and garden. They eventually traded Mazatlan for Indio, and increased their snow-birding time to 5 months. From high school until her ailment slowed her down, mom enjoyed hiking, skiing, gardening, spending time with friends and family, all her cats and dogs, travelling, and boating. She even had a go at parachuting, even though that resulted in a broken ankle. One of her favorite things to do late in life was to go on little trips with Jeff in his motor home.
Wilma was preceded in death by her 2 brothers, Sergio (1943) and Ireneo (1944), her mother Yolanda (1958), and her father Philip in 1967. She also lost her favorite aunt, zia Irene, in Seattle in 1992. She is survived locally by Leo, her husband of nearly 57 years, 2 sons Jeffrey and Titian (Namita), her sister Leda, nephews Corey (Jennifer) and Chaney (Carol), and 5 great nieces/nephews. In Italy- 3 brother/sister-in-laws, 5 nieces/nephews, and 13 great nieces/nephews. She also has many cousins in Italy and Croatia.
Per mom’s wishes, there will be no memorial service, but we will have a remembrance of her life for family and close friends sometime in August. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the humane society. Mom was an extremely kind, sweet, gentle and positive person. She was generous with her heart and loved everybody. Even when she was sick, mom never complained. We miss you mom, will always love and remember you.