Anna Maria Adelaide Cocco

          Anna Maria Adelaide Cocco (née Dal Lago), passed away peacefully after a long and fulfilling life, surrounded by her family on August 29, 2026, at Woodstock Hospital. She was 94.

          Anna Maria was born in Valdagno, a town in northern Italy near the foothills of the Alps, to Antonio Dal Lago and Paola Visonà.  She spent her childhood active in sports, from playing basketball to skiing, even travelling into the mountains by motorcycle with her skis strapped to the side.  Later she worked as a telephone operator, where she was valued for having all 100 telephone numbers in town memorized.

          In the late 1950s, she followed her soon-to-be husband, Carmelo Cocco, to Canada.  They spent a short time living in Toronto, where they were married, before settling in Woodstock where they raised their daughter, Giulia.  As a family, they loved camping in the summer and skiing in the winter.  Anna Maria worked at the Harvey Woods factory in Woodstock for 26 years before retiring.

          After Carmelo’s untimely death in 1983, Anna Maria met Silvano, and they remained together until his death in 2021.  With Silvano, Anna Maria’s love of travel took her around the world, and they enjoyed many holidays together.  She especially looked forward to spending her winters in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and visiting all the friends she made there, although she said her favourite place of all was Costa Rica.  Through her travels, she made many longtime friends with whom she kept in touch.

          Anna Maria always enjoyed being social and active.  She loved going dancing and playing cards with her friends and was always ready to offer guests food and her strong Moka pot coffee.  She filled her life with the people and activities she loved.  In her downtime, she enjoyed reading, gardening, sewing and knitting, and watched a movie almost every night before bed.  She loved opera, ballet, and theatre, fondly remembering her father knowing many opera songs and singing them to her when she was young.  She also loved being in the kitchen and cooking, always going all-out for holiday meals and making sure there was cake and a bottle of Prosecco ready for every birthday celebration.  Although her specialty was traditional Italian cooking, she was always excited to try foods from different cultures.

          One of Anna Maria's greatest joys was her family.  She loved children and animals and always looked forward to seeing her grandchildren.  She will be lovingly remembered by her daughter Giulia (Marty), granddaughter Stacie, and grandson Richard (Tabitha).

          Her family would like to extend their thanks to everyone involved in Anna Maria’s care, including doctors, hospital staff, and PSWs.

          Some of Anna Maria’s final words of advice were “do what you want as much as you can, because you never know when you won’t be able to anymore”.

          At Anna Maria’s request, there will be no funeral service.  A burial will take place at a later date at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Woodstock, where she will be laid to rest alongside Carmelo.

Wareing Cremation Services, 225 Norwich Ave., Woodstock, Ontario has been entrusted with Final Arrangements.  Your messages of remembrance and condolence may be shared here at www.wareingcremation.ca