Obituary: Natalie Corbo, 64, of Roxbury

Natalie (Grosso) Corbo, 64, of Roxbury, died Thursday, August 2, 2012, at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven after courageously battling breast cancer for seven years.

She was the wife of A. Ralph Corbo, Jr. and was surrounded by her loving family during her final moments.

Corbo was born in Waterbury, daughter of Rose (Fuoco) Grosso of Waterbury, and the late Joseph M. Grosso. She was a graduate of our of Lady of Mt. Carmel grammar school, Waterbury Catholic High School, University of Connecticut and Southern Connecticut State University.

Corbo and her husband Ralph were partners in life since their first date on March 26, 1965. Celebrating their anniversary every Valentine's Day, they were happily married for 42 years.

Their loving partnership extended to the business they built together, Corbo Associates Inc., an award winning local home builder, where she was co-owner and chief financial officer since 1981.

Corbo was an integral member of the development and management team for CrossRoads, a commercial center in Middlebury. Previously she was a spanish teacher at Watertown High School and later became director of library services for the school district.

Corbo was a great lover of music, art and theater, and she especially enjoyed shows at the Palace Theater in Waterbury. She was an accomplished accordionist and competed on a state level as a teenager. She was a communicant of St. Patrick's Church in Roxbury and was also active with the Metastatic Breast Cancer group at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Corbo was an avid downhill skier and loved spending winters in Vermont with her family and friends.

Besides her mother and husband, she is survived by her son, Colin Corbo and his wife Dawn of Woodbury, and her daughter Faith Corbo of Roxbury. She will be missed by her sisters Joanne Piel and her husband William of Woodbury and Marilyn O'Neil and her husband Thomas of Cheshire as well as her sister-in-law Domenica Zurlo, brother-in-law John Zurlo, brother-in-law Joseph Corbo, sister-in-law Faith Harvey Corbo and son-in-law Thor Gaenzler. Her four nieces and four nephews will also miss her.

Calling Hours: 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, August 6, at Chase Parkway Memorial/The Albini Family Funeral Home, 430 Chase Parkway, Waterbury.

Funeral: 9 a.m. Tuesday, August 7, at Chase Parkway Memorial/The Albini Family Funeral Home to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Washington Depot for an 11 a.m. mass.

Burial will follow at St. Patrick Cemetery in Roxbury.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made in Corbo's memory to the “Closer to Free Fund” in Support of Dr. Michael DiGiovanna’s Breast Cancer Research Program at Yale Cancer Center. Please make checks payable to “Closer to Free Fund”, P.O. Box 7611, New Haven, CT 06519-0611 or online at giveclosertofree.org.