Jean Jovenia DiBattista

Jovenia Josephina “Jean” Sposato DiBattista of Elizabeth, Forward Township, PA. 

Born:     October 19, 1929, Clairton, PA. 

Day of Passing:  July 16, 2019 10:40 PM in Charlotte, NC.

Our sassy babushka-wearing, wooden spoon-wielding Gramma Jean Beautiful went to be with the Lord this week.  She is now reunited with her husband, John DiBattista, who passed away in 2015. We imagine her dedication to staying healthy and getting in her steps/miles had been in preparation to chase down her favorite movie hero in heaven, John Wayne. If you can say anything about our gramma, it would be that she was always one to stay active. Every time you would turn around, she was on the move; she would be making something in the kitchen or cleaning a counter top for the second time because it wasn't “gramma-clean”. When she wasn't caring for her family, as she loved to do, she would be devouring a book, watching her stories, or working on a puzzle.  In reality, Gramma Jean was just passing time until one of her loved ones gave her a daily phone call. Gramma answered those phone calls with almost as much enthusiasm as when she was about to have chocolate or watch the Steelers play. No one could ever get between Gramma and her Steelers. Literally - you couldn't walk in front of the TV or you'd risked the chance of being tackled by all 125 pounds of her! 

We could go on about her humor and how we would constantly tease one another. We could tell you about how she wholly believed everything was better in Pittsburgh, and how she made the best bread and cookies in the world. Most important, we could go on about how much she loved her family and how much we all loved her.

Jean was the daughter of the late John and Dorothy Sposato of Clairton, PA., and one of five children, including her late sisters, Patricia “Patty” Watkins of New Orleans, LA. and Joan “Bootsy” Kidd of Westerville, OH.  She is survived by brother John Sposato Jr. of Belle Vernon, PA. and Connie Pastore of West Mifflin, PA. and their families.

She is also survived by her children, John DiBattista of Hawthorne Woods, IL., Jeanette DiBattista Framiglio of Concord, NC., Patrick DiBattista of Missoula, MN., their spouses, 6 supercalifragilisticexpialidocious grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren (who loved her homemade bread and gnocchi), and a host of long-time devoted friends. 

A family memorial service was held in her honor at her daughter’s home in Concord, NC., where she resided.  In lieu of flowers, contributions in her name may be made to Wounded Warriors Project www.woundedwarriorproject.org, 1-855-448-3997.