Loretta J. (Borgia) Wilcox, 87, passed away Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at home surrounded by her loving family. She was the wife of the late George O. Wilcox. Born in Providence, she was a daughter of the late Matthew and Marion (Sousa) Borgia. She is survived by her sister Mary Ann (Borgia) Card. Loretta was the beloved mother of Matthew C. Wilcox (Kim) and Linda M. Wilcox; loving grandmother of Ryan Wilcox (Emma), Katherine Podolskiy (Ilya), and Hayley Wilcox. Loving great grandmother of Ezra Podolskiy and Baby Wilcox.
Early in her career, she was a legal secretary for a Providence judge and then worked as an office manager for the owner of a local Rhode Island business that is still an institution today, Dels Lemonade.
Her greatest accomplishments and joys in life, however, were those that came from being a loving and dedicated mother, grandmother, and great grandmother to her family and as the wife to the love of her life, George, during their 59 years of marriage. She was an adventurous soul and was always ready for the next big life experience. With a fearless spirit, she was always the trusted and reliable "co-pilot" on the many adventures she, George and the family would undertake. Whether it was riding on the back of a motorcycle, serving as the navigator during their motorhome travels around the country, as a trusted and reliable deck hand on their boats, watching the horizon and checking instruments while sitting in the right seat of the plane being flown by her husband, or setting up camp during their many years of camping with the family, she was always at the ready and could be counted on for getting it right.
Her passions in life were gardening, travel, and most of all cooking. She was an amazing cook and loved nothing more than preparing a meal and taking great pride in watching her family and friends enjoy what she created. She was a social butterfly and loved to be around people, and people loved to be around her. She would spend many hours outside planting flowers, mulching, pruning, watering, and nurturing her vegetable garden.
In her more recent years, she fulfilled a lifelong dream to travel overseas making it to Spain and Italy where she was able to visit the birth town of her father, Manfredonia, Italy. Her last big adventure was a cruise down the Seine River in France, making many stops along the journey to enjoy the food, sights, and local culture. The highlight of this trip was an emotional visit to Normandy beach where she met a 98-year-old veteran from England who was there for the invasion and the Colleville-sur-Mer American cemetery.
Loretta will always be remembered for the loving, caring selfless person she was, the legacy she has left behind, and will be missed more than words can capture by her family, friends, and loved ones.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to the American Lung Association. The memorial wall for Loretta can be accessed by clicking this link; https://action.lung.org/site/TR?fr_id=1080&pg=ffind and searching for her name.
Relatives and friends were invited to a Mass of Christian Burial Friday, May 10, 2024 at 11:00 AM in St. Timothy Church, Warwick Ave., Warwick. Burial was in Quidnessett Memorial Cemetery, North Kingstown.
