LYNN — Mrs. Phyllis Mary “FiFi” (Camuso) Amaral, age 92, of Lynn, died on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, at North Shore Medical Center, Union Hospital, surrounded by her loving family, following a brief illness. She was the wife of the late Leonard Amaral and the late Clinton Smith.
Born in Cambridge on Dec. 25, 1924, Phyllis was the daughter of the late Alfonso and Mary Grace (Annese) Camuso. She was raised in Wakefield, attended Wakefield Public Schools and graduated from Wakefield High School. She married Clinton Smith and the couple moved to Melrose, where they raised their four children. For many years, Phyllis worked as a billing and payroll clerk at the G.E.M. Store in Saugus and later at Safelite AutoGlass in Cambridge and Transitron in Melrose. During WWII, she was a proud part of the “Rosie the Riveter” campaign and worked as a welder at the Charlestown Navy Yard. Following retirement, Phyllis and her husband Leonard Amaral moved to Derry, N.H., Hampstead, N.H., and later to Florida. She was a resident of Crystal River and Homosassa, Fla., for more than 27 years and returned to Lynn three years ago. She enjoyed playing tennis and bridge and was an avid dancer. Phyllis loved crocheting, gardening, traveling and throwing parties to entertain her family and friends. She was a volunteer for many years at Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center, Crystal River, Fla., and collected bottle tabs for the Lions Club.
Phyllis is survived by her loving children Scott Smith of Derry, N.H., Nancy Miller of Colonie, N.Y., Suzanne Brown and her husband Alan of Gray, Maine, and Pamela Gallant and her husband Dick of Lynn, her grandchildren Tiffany, Janice, Christine, Robin, Dan, Nick, Micah, Jolene and Brad, her 17 great-grandchildren, her brother Richard Camuso and his wife Evelyn of Saugus, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and close friends. In addition to her parents and husbands, Phyllis was predeceased by her brothers Julio, Gerry and Anthony and her sisters Camille, Dorothy and Eleanor.
Service information: Her funeral will be held on Friday, Jan. 13, 2017, at 9 a.m. from the SOLIMINE Funeral Home, 426 Broadway (Rt. 129), Lynn, MA, followed by a funeral Mass in Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Lynnfield, MA at 10 a.m. Burial will be private. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Visiting hours will be on Thursday from 4-8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in Phyllis’ memory may be made to Dementia Society of America, PO Box 600, Doylestown, PA 18901 or at www.dementiasociety.org?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss Directions and online guest book at Solimine.com.