Of Waltham, passed peacefully in her sleep at the age of 95 on the morning of February 5, 2016, living a long and full life.

Known to her friends as Ellie or Ellen, and to her grand-children and great-grandchildren as Grammy and Nanny Ellen.

Beloved daughter of Italian immigrants Vincenzo Fucci and Angelina Caramanica, she was the youngest of six siblings, all of whom passed on before her: Anthony, Freddy, Jennifer, Beatrice, and Josephine.

She married the love of her life, Basile Vanaria, and they enjoyed 59 wonderful years of marriage together until he passed in 1997.

Eleanor and Basil had three sons, seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. She is survived by her eldest son Richard Vanaria and her daughter-in-law, Angie Vanaria. Richard and Angie have three children: Richard and his wife Mary Vanaria, and their two children, Kelly and Richard; the late Debra and her husband Mark Sullivan, and their two children, Sean and Kayla; and Michael and his wife Bernadette, and their two children, Michael and Joseph. She is survived by her second son Ronald and his wife Muriel, and their two children, Steven and Cheryl Vanaria. She is survived by her youngest son James Vanaria, and his wife Linda. James and Linda have two children, Jamie Lynn, and Elizabeth and her husband Christopher Briody, who have two children, Poppy and Harrison. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In the last year of her life, she received exceptional care from Margaret Kiwanuka and Julia Kubuuka.

Eleanor was a lifelong resident of Waltham, Massachusetts, spending the last 64 years at 96 Bright Street. She was a loving wife, mother, sister, daughter, and loyal friend. Eleanor was a skilled cook and baker, and she loved nothing more than to feed a table full of family and friends.

In her younger days, she and her husband Basile loved to dance at Nuttings on the Charles. She was a social butterfly who loved to play cards and go on day trips with friends. She enjoyed serving on the Sons of Italy club with her sister, Josephine "Poppy", and attended church with her friends for as long as she was able. She was extremely generous, and always wanted to help her family however she could. She relished her role as a housewife, but she was also a diligent worker behind the scenes of her husband’s and sons’ businesses. Despite having to leave school in the ninth grade, Eleanor was an adept financial manager and was proud to “keep the books.”

February 3, 2016 was Eleanor’s 95th birthday, and she enjoyed a week long celebration of this incredible milestone with friends and family. We will miss her warm heart and busy kitchen.

Relatives & Friends are respectfully invited to attend a Funeral Service in celebration of Eleanor's Life in the Mary Catherine Chapel of Brasco & Sons Memorial, 773 Moody Street, WALTHAM on Wednesday morning Feb. 10th at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Waltham. Visiting Hours will be held in the Brasco & Sons Memorial Funeral Home on Tuesday Feb. 9th from 4 - 8 p.m. Parking attendants will be on duty.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Eleanor M. Vanaria (Fucci), please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.