Elina A. McCartney, 88, of Blacksburg, passed away peacefully on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, at her home surrounded by her beloved family.
Elina was born in Italy on July 27, 1933, to the late Giuseppe Paccasassi and Chiara Paccasassi. She was preceded in death by her husband, William B. McCartney, her brothers Minervino, Ennio, Luigi, Gino, and Antonio and her sisters Eligia and Gina.
Elina was born in Pietralta, a small village in the Abruzzi region of Italy. She learned her cooking skills from a very young age in the rustic kitchen of her family’s stone house high in the mountains. Elina began her artistic passion learning intricate embroidery from the nuns in the village. She and her husband Bill, whom she met in Naples, embraced the simple life, valuing family and being outdoors every day. A 20-mile bike ride or a trek around local trails looking for mushrooms was part of her everyday life.
Elina and her husband moved to Blacksburg when her son, Bruno, and his wife, Christine, had their third child. As grandparents living in the house, they were actively involved in the raising of their five grandsons, taking them to soccer games and imparting their love of the outdoors and passion for cooking. Elina’s talent for creating her unique art provided many pieces to cover the walls of her home and will be an enduring and treasured legacy.
Elina is survived by her sisters, Maria, Angela, and Leonilda; her sons, Bruno and Walter; her daughter-in-law Christine; and her grandchildren, Antonio, Angelo, Vittorio, Martino, and Marcello.
A service was held Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church in Blacksburg with Deacon Rick Furman officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Micah’s Backpack, St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Blacksburg.