Margaret Defazio-Jacobs

Was born March 22, 1928 to Louis and Christina DeFazio in Sacramento and passed away on January 17, 2012 in Sacramento surrounded by her loving family. Margaret is survived by her five children and their spouses: Lynn (Robert) Massetti, Steven (Ruth) Jacobs, Susan Kasimatis, Nancy (Charles) Leoni, and Paul (Karen) Jacobs; her 12 grandchildren: Regina (Jake), John (Amanda), Nicholas, Valentina, Michael, Jennifer, Dante, Bryan, Daniel, Alexis (Sheldon), Jacqueline, and Lorenzo; and one great-grandchild: Charlotte Grace. Margaret was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Raymond; her brothers, William, James, Louis, Richard, and sister, Eleanor. She is survived by her sisters, Marie and Bernadine, and brother, Anthony. Margaret, a native of East Sacramento, graduated from Sacramento High School and completed coursework at Sacramento City College. She married Raymond S. Jacobs on December 30, 1951 at St. Mary's Church and went on to raise five children at her long time residence in East Sacramento. Margaret worked for the State of California as a personnel specialist for over 25 years and was an active member of St. Mary's Parish, the Dante Club, the Italian Catholic Federation, and a grandparent volunteer at St. Mary's School where her children and some grandchildren attended. Margaret was an American patriot and active Catholic who valued education and championed social justice issues. Margaret thrived in social settings and enthusiastically acted as the matriarch of a large extended family. She loved her family that includes over 40 nephews and nieces, numerous cousins, and many long-time friends. Margaret enjoyed cooking, visiting her grandchildren, shopping, and being the host of the annual 'Calabrese Open' family picnic held each October in memory of her brothers and sister at East Portal Park in Sacramento. Friends and family are invited to attend a Rosary to be held on Friday, January 20, 2012 at 7 p.m. at W.F. Gormley & Sons, 2015 Capitol Ave., Sacramento, and a Mass of Christian Burial to be held Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary's Church at 58th and M Streets in Sacramento. Interment will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery. The family requests that all donations be sent to the following charities in lieu of flowers: Mercy McMahon Terrace, 3865 J St., Sacramento, CA 95816; The Calabrese Family Picnic Fund c/o El Dorado Savings Bank, 5500 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95819; Christian Bros. High School, 4315 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95820; Mercy Hospital Heart Institute, c/o Mercy Foundation, 3400 Data Dr., Rancho Cordova, CA 95670; St. Mary's School, 1351 58th St., Sacramento, CA 95819; Vitas Hospice, 3841 N. Freeway Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95834.