Viola (Vi) Luetta Limone passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on July 28, 2026 at the age of 74. She is survived by her daughter Leah and husband Neil Slyva and their children Paul and Abby of Topsfield, son Christopher and partner Laura Mannion of Rockland, and son Brendan and wife Katharine Mooney and their children Marinel and Edenson of Melrose. In addition to her parents Pauline Grimes and George Warren Reed, step-father Leo Grimes, in-laws Elizabeth and Louis Limone, sister Paula Apicella, and brother-in-law Bob McGrath, she was predeceased by her high school sweetheart and love of her life, Stephen Limone.

Born in Melrose, she was the younger of two girls. Her early childhood was spent at the Harbor View Hotel near Rocky Neck, which her mother owned and where local artists often spent their days painting. To this day, in fact, Vi still has some of the 1-of-1 artworks specifically made for her as a child. She then lived in Nassau, Bahamas for a short time before ultimately settling in Melrose just before junior high. It was during 8th grade that a big, loud, Italian family of 7 moved in upstairs at the duplex on West Emerson where Vi lived with her mother and step-father.

As fate would have it, that family was the Limones, and it wasn’t long after Steve and Vi locked eyes that they started dating. Despite countless jibes from Steve's four younger siblings, they stuck together throughout high school (Class Sweethearts of MHS class of 1969) and college and she remained Steve’s first lady throughout their long, loving marriage of 46 years until he passed in 2019.

After earning her RN from Mary Hitchcock School of Nursing in 1972, Vi was a nurse for 38 years at Mass General hospital before retiring in 2018. She developed and maintained great friendships from her time in cardiac anesthesia, surgical day care, and any hospital department she contributed to. She remained committed to MGH and nursing in her later years and was determined to contribute to Alzheimer's research throughout her care journey.

Vi cherished time spent with family and friends. She spent hours cheering on her children and grandchildren in their basketball, soccer games, theater, and dance productions. She enjoyed many weekends and summers at Scobie Pond in Francestown, NH, various lakes throughout NH and ME (Camps Caution and Chaos), their beloved rustic camp in Lee, ME, and in recent years at ‘Scobie Too’ in Bridgton, ME. She loved travelling with Steve, including many trips across the pond to Europe and behind the wheel here in the states, especially in their convertible. She would never turn down an invitation for a dinner out and enjoyed many lunch dates with great friends from MHS, MHMH, MGH, and the Topsfield COA.

During her later years, Vi delighted in having all three of her children living nearby and in spending as much time as possible with her four grandchildren. They loved swimming in the pool and lake, boat rides on Long Lake, reading stories, and most of all gallivanting with their Gigi. She spent the last 6 years living in Topsfield where she developed new friendships at the Topsfield Senior Center and spent lots of time in the pool with all of her grandchildren.

Vi was unequivocally thoughtful, loving, down-to-earth and never hesitated to make time for those who needed it. Although she never wanted to be the life of the party like Steve, she was always right there beside him, ensuring that everybody had a place to sit, a drink in their hands, and a plate of homemade food to eat. She was a loyal friend, wonderful daughter, caring sister and cousin, thoughtful aunt, loving wife, proud mother always full of encouragement, and fun-loving grandmother. We were all incredibly lucky to have her in our lives and she will be sorely missed.

Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, August 6, 2026 from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM at the Gately Funeral Home, 79 W. Foster Street, Melrose. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, August 7, 2026 at 11:00 AM at the Gately Funeral Home. Family & Friend's respectfully invited to attend.

To honor Vi’s legacy of always finding ways to help, connect, and care for others, in lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to one of these organizations:

Melrose High School Scholarship Fund

c/o Stephen C. And Vi Limone MHS Class Sweethearts 1969

P.O. Box 760695

Melrose, MA 02176

(or online at https://www.mhsfund.org/permanent-funds/permanent-scholarship-list/?cdid=Stephen+C.+and+Vi+Limone+MHS+Class+Sweethearts+1969)

Topsfield Council on Aging

PO Box 173

Topsfield, MA 01983

Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center

(online at https://www.madrc.org/support-us/)