Barbara Ferrilli (nee Mango), former longtime resident of Philadelphia, late of Haddonfield, died at the age of 76 on Sept. 22.
She was the devoted mother of Robert (Jennifer) of Haddonfield and loving grandmother of Catherine Ferrilli. She leaves behind a loving extended family and lifelong friends, which she cherished.
My mother lived her life in the service of others. She dedicated her life to raising me, caring for her mother in her final years, and loving her granddaughter Catherine. Our journey together was a wild ride of many ups and downs. My mother was brilliant. She was excellent at mathematics, the only person I knew that solved the Rubik’s Cube pre-YouTube and was an incredible Blackjack player, which earned her the nickname “BlackJackBarb.” She loved the casinos and had an excellent winning streak for several years, where she got free trips and would win enough money to bail her 20-year-old son out of debt.
My mother was always very generous. A friend of mine said he courted his wife on my mother’s Comps from the casino. When she was doing well, everyone did well. She would give you the shirt off her back so you could keep warm.
When Barbara’s granddaughter Catherine was born, she stole Barbara’s heart. She loved Catherine more than anything, maybe even me. In the past two years, she has suffered multiple medical challenges, but she fought through it because she wanted to see as much of Catherine’s life as possible.
My mother worked with what she had and made sacrifices to give me the opportunities she did not. My mother succeeded in giving me those opportunities for a better life, and her impact will be felt through the rest of my life, Catherine’s, and the generations beyond.
Services were private.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Barbara may be made to Scholarship America: https://donations.scholarshipamerica.org/index.php?
