Following is the obituary for MARGHERITA MILANO BASILI, submitted by her family.

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Margherita (Marj) Milano Basili, 94, of Palatka, Fla., and Westport, died peacefully on Nov. 15, 2024. She was the daughter of Salvatore Milano and Assunta Carrano Milano. 

Born on Feb. 26,1930, in New Haven, Marj attended Commercial High School, Connecticut State Teachers College and moved to New York to work her way through New York University, where she graduated with a degree in business.  

Her early career took her into the field of management consulting — and she deployed her perspective as a woman to help clients better address the needs of both customers and employees. She then worked for the Australian Consolidated Press in New York.

In 1957, she moved to Naples, Italy, and worked supporting the Sixth Fleet as a buyer and merchandising manager in the Naval Postal Exchange (or PX). 

Like so many from New Haven, her parents hailed from Amalfi, and she was able to connect with her large extended family there. She married in Italy — and returned to the U.S. in 1960 to start a family and pursued teaching in elementary schools in Milford and Westport. 

By 1969, she was a single mother of three young boys, and she shifted her career into real estate, where she worked in both commercial and residential shops. Her great passion was residential real estate in Westport and its environs. Marj was sharp and a go-getter, and her clients became lifelong friends.

Marj curated a large group of friends, knitted together by her interests in life and her empathetic approach to others. Marj reveled in helping others — no problem was insurmountable to her.

Marj loved her friends and family. She will be remembered for her quick wit, marvelous sense of humor and her many stories from her long life. 

She survived by her sons, Giuseppe Basili (Dean) of Norman, Okla., Gianfranco Basili (Allison) of St. Augustine, Fla., and Roberto Basili (Sara) of Bergen, Norway, as well as granddaughters Alexandra Basili Gunther (Ben) and Johanne Basili, and grandsons Benjamin Basili and Filip Basili.

As per Marj’s request, no funeral or memorial service will be held.