Frances Cantagallo (Sculli), age 90, passed away on April 2, 2021, in Media, PA.

Frances Cantagallo was born and raised in South Philadelphia, the daughter of the late Francesco Sculli, an immigrant from southern Italy, having arrived on these shores just eight years before Frances' birth in 1931, and the late Filomena (Brizzi) Sculli, the only daughter and oldest of six children, herself of immigrant parents.  Neither parent was a high school graduate.

Frances graduated from South Philadelphia High School (for Girls) in 1948. Despite a stellar high school record, an honors student, college was not in her future, not for a young woman in 1948 born to an immigrant parent and his young wife.  So, she took a job as a bookkeeper and helped her parents make ends meet. She was active socially, making friendships in high school and afterwards that would last a lifetime.  She was a bobby-soxer fan of Frank Sinatra, and once a week the Sculli home in south philly hummed with the chatter of young women playing canasta and eating pastries from the corner bakery.

She was the beloved wife of Raymond Cantagallo whom she met in a community theater group in 1954.  They would have been married 65 years at the end of April.  Frances was the loving and dedicated, mother of two children, the late Maria Melman (Andrew), and Frederick Cantagallo (Kathleen).  Frances was also devoted to her brother John Sculli and late sister Joanna Christaldi (Sculli).  She was the loving Grandmother of Tina Nguyen (James), Nicholas Cantagallo (Karina), Benjamin Melman and Mackenzie Melman, and Great-Grandmother of Kaden Nguyen and Chase Nguyen. She devoted her life to her family and friends.

Services will be private at the convenience of the family. Condolences can be left at www.nolanfidale.com