My mother passed away in December after fighting a progressively debilitating disease for many years. The past months have been a time of reflection for me. My mother taught me many things about life, instilling principles that have made me not only a better person but also a better test automation engineer. In this episode, I’d like to share a few of those things with you.
About My Mom – Emma Colantonio
Emma A. Colantonio, 76, of North Smithfield and formerly of Johnston, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family Wednesday, December 17, 2014. She was the wife of the late Joseph Colantonio Sr.. Born in Providence, she was the daughter of the late Francesco and Francesca (Aiello) Filippis. Emma was a case aide worker for the State of Rhode Island for many years, retiring in 2001. She had lived most of her life in Johnston before moving to North Smithfield three years ago.
She relied heavily on her strong faith in God throughout her life, raising her four children alone after becoming a widow at a young age. Emma had a quirky sense of humor and handled her recent illness with grace and dignity. Emma was a lover of fashion, favoring leopard prints, costume jewelry, and colorful shoes. She also enjoyed music and dancing to the “Oldies” and was famous in years past for her Sunday meatball dinners.
She is survived by her children, Joyce Colantonio, Angela Niles and her husband Lance, Jerilyn Pirri and her husband Gino, and Joseph Colantonio Jr. and his wife Shael, her sister, Janet Cote, eight grandchildren, Kristopher Fisher, Sara Ricci, Brian Colantonio, Connor Niles, Owen Niles, Gianna, Ava, and Ella Pirri and four nieces.
Quotes & Insights from this Test Talk
- Respond positively to change
- Always be learning
- Boy Scout Rule
- The smell test
- Women in Technology
- Testing and Life is hard
Resources
May I Ask You For a Favor?
Thanks again for listening to the show. If it has helped you in any way, shape or form, please share it using the social media buttons you see on the page.
Additionally, reviews for the podcast on iTunes are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show and I read each and every one of them.
Special offer for TestTalks listeners, get 20 hours of automated testing for free when you sign-up with promo code testtalks14 (more info).
Hi Joe,
I have just listened to this podcast which I really enjoyed. I wanted to let you know that I found it really interested. It sounds like your mother was a wise woman. All good lessons and I agree there should be more women in IT especially as you say if you want a successful business.
Thanks Hazel – glad you liked the Mothers Day episodes it was a hard episode to do but well worth it.