Carolina Petrucci

Our beloved mother, Carolina Petrucci, left this earth after a brief but difficult battle with COVID-19 on July 22, 2021, at the Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in Temple, Texas.

Carolina Petrucci was born on June 15, 1963, in New Haven, Connecticut, to Carmine Petrucci and Maria Malinverni. She attended Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge, Connecticut, and obtained certifications in both childcare and hospice care in Central Texas. Carolina dedicated most of her working life to the newspaper industry in Killeen, Texas. For over twenty-four years she handled account maintenance and rose to become a senior agent.

Carolina was proud of her Italian heritage, and she found meaning in observing those traditions.  Her accent was unique, a blending of her Northeastern roots with her adopted Southern home. She referred to herself as a “Texas Yankee.” Cooking made her happy. She owned a library full of recipes and was always working to create a new dish. Carolina loved to laugh. Comedy movies and silly songs brought her joy. Carolina had a playful and competitive spirit that could often be seen in a game of Rummy 500 or bingo.

Carolina is predeceased by her fiancé of nine years, Alfredo Cunanan. She is survived by her brothers, Andrew Petrucci of California and Anthony Petrucci of North Carolina; her sisters, Rosanna Gori, Annamaria Sciuto, Joanna Hawks, and Susanna Cranston, all of Connecticut; her sons, Matthew David Rowe of Austin, Texas and Michael Edward Rowe of San Antonio, Texas; her daughters Brandi Crystal Love of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Carolina Pennie Love of Palestine, Texas; and many more cherished family members and friends.

Carolina was a devout Roman Catholic and looked forward to celebrating the birth of Christ with her family every year.  She kept her Christmas tree up year-round. In honor of their mother, Carolina’s children will be planting a memorial spruce tree.

Carolina always stayed strong. Through her, we know what resilience and perseverance truly look like.

"So we do not lose heart.

Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen."

- 2 Corinthians 4:16-18