Philomena Tota

Philomena Tota, 90, passed away February 26, 2023 peacefully in her home in Harbor City, CA. She was preceded in death by her husband Leonardo, her two sisters Lucia Billings (James) and Mary Mangione, her granddaughter Cory Tota, and her best friend Dee Serio.

“Phyllis” is the daughter of Angelo and Rachel Guerrierri. She was born in Buffalo in 1932 during the Great Depression. “Philly,” the middle daughter, graduated from PS 75 in Buffalo. After high school, she traveled to Italy with her mother. While there she met and married Leonardo Adamo Tota. They were married for 49 years before his passing in 2003. She is survived by three sons, Anthony (Rampai), Angelo (Susie), Mario (Lilia) and two daughters, Amelia Myers (John) and Marialina.

She is also survived by 16 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren, plus a little bun in the oven. Philomena was artistic and enjoyed ceramics, making lamp shades, playing cards, and most of all feeding her friends and family. Everyone loved Phyllis with her bright smile and twinkling eyes. She was the very definition of an optimistic realist. Her home welcomed all of the neighborhood kids. Every Sunday she would cook a huge pot of sauce. There was always enough to feed the family and anyone who happened to stop by. Her favorite question was, “Did you eat?” We all knew it didn’t really matter if we had or not, we always had room for Philomena’s meatballs.

Join us to celebrate the life of Philomena Tota at Green Hills Mortuary.
The viewing is on Tuesday, March 14 from 4:30 to 8:30.
The funeral services will be held on Wednesday, March 15 at 2:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the PHILOMENA TOTA MEMORIAL FUND on the St. Jude website under the “Give in a Loved One’s Memory” tab.