Obituary of Olive Cornelia Massa

Olive C. Massa, of Jamesville, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 24, 2019, surrounded by her family and friends. She was born in Georgetown, New York to her late parents Dennis and Laura Chapin Simmons on December 5, 1933.
Following graduation from Georgetown High School, Olive completed study at the Central City Business Institute in Syracuse, NY. She is a former executive secretary for Carrier for 10 years, worked at William Tom Caterpillar, was a Kelly Girl and eventually retired from the Syracuse City Courts. She was a member of the Red Hat Society, a former bowler and enjoyed ceramics. She was also a former member of St. Mary’s Church in Jamesville.
Olive was a quiet woman of peace and dignity, a gatherer of good people, a guide and voice of caring amidst her family circle and she touched many generations on both sides of her family. She enjoyed gardening and green things, the smell of lilacs in the spring, collecting blue glass, reading books, and figuring out puzzles. Above all, her greatest passion and joy came from spending time with her children and grandchildren in New York and California, along with visiting her siblings and their families, acting as a key organizer and joyful participant of the annual Simmons family reunions.
She was pre-deceased by her grandson Phillip Thomas Corcoran and siblings Wilda Georgia and Chuck Simmons.
Her family includes her husband of 63 years, Angelo; a son Michael (Joanne) Massa; daughter Theresa (Phillip) Corcoran; sisters: Shirley Denoski, Dorothy Thompson; grandchildren: Nicholas Massa, Daniel, Christopher, Justin, Erin, Thomas Corcoran; and several nieces and nephews.
A funeral mass will be held Thursday at 10am in St. James Church with burial to follow in Walnut Grove Cemetery in Jamesville. Calling Hours will be Wednesday from 5-7pm at the  Goddard-Crandall-Shepardson Funeral Home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of CNY or the Alzheimer’s Association.