Filomena Mary Scerri
March 21, 1930 – January 20, 2023
Filomena Mary Scerri passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones, on January 20, 2023 at the age of 92.
Born in 1930 to Paul and Rose Fenech, Filomena lost both parents in early childhood and was raised by her mother’s family, primarily her Aunt Maria and grandfather, in their hometown of Mosta, Malta. Her childhood was overshadowed by WW2 and the fight for control of the strategically important island. She and her family endured multiple air raids and wartime strife; stories she recounted often to her family. After the end of the war, Filomena married Emanuel Scerri and in 1953 immigrated to the US to join extended family in San Francisco. She was employed at the Schlage Lock Company and retired after 28 years. In her retirement, she lovingly cared for extended family and enjoyed many hobbies. Filomena was a very talented seamstress and masterful at crocheting and knitting, making beautiful clothes and blankets for her family. She was also a wonderful cook, proudly sharing her culture through traditional Maltese food, especially her famous pastizzi.
Filomena was preceded in death by her loving husband of 58 years, Emanuel.
Though she did not have any siblings or children of her own, Filomena served as matriarch and an enduring representation of Malta and its traditions to many loving cousins, nieces, nephews and friends in Australia, Malta, and the SF Bay Area. Filomena was especially dear to her cousins Carmen Orton (Thomas) and Philomena Schembri (John) and their children Marina Ochoa (Victor), Julie Orton (Kevin Paul), Adrian Schembri (Kate), Lisa Lynch (Martin), and Sharon McInnes ( Angus).
Services will be held on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 with visitation/Rosary beginning at 9:30am, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:30am. All services will be held at St Elizabeth Church, 459 Somerset St, San Francisco. Committal at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma.
Memorial donations in her name may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Published by San Francisco Chronicle on Jan. 26, 2023.
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