Vale Luigia Mittereger

It was with much sadness that Mayflower Reservoir bade farewell to one of our most loved residents, Luigia Mittereger who passed away peacefully on the 15th of August 2018, aged 103. Both our staff and residents will miss her greatly.

Born in the small fishing town of Isola in 1915 she worked hard from an early age and met the love of her life, Giuseppe (Pino) at a dance in Trieste. They were married and moved to Australia in 1955, with their twin children.

A true matriarch, Luigia was a pillar of her family, working alongside her beloved Pino in their grocery store. She saw the birth of 8 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild.

After the passing of Pino in 1971, Luigia kept a picture of him she would kiss every day and say goodnight. She retained a razor-sharp memory and spoke of how handsome her Pino was, and how much she loved dancing with him.

She especially loved to travel – Egypt, Singapore, Vienna, Italy and America, with her suitcase packed almost as full as her life. She was also incredibly fit – at the age of 80 she was the oldest to compete in a 10km walk for charity.

Luigia was always the life of the party with a cheeky joke or story to tell. She did enjoy a drink and had the perfect cure if you had a cough...”Bevi grappa”. In the kitchen, her strucholo was legendary, her polenta perfection, and she always looked impeccable, even when dusted in flour from a day of cooking for the family.

Luigia came to Mayflower in 2013 and loved the social aspect of life in Reservoir. Our oldest resident, she enjoyed dressing up for our events and was always up for a chat, a kind word and the offer of one of her famous home remedies for any ailment.

She will be sadly missed as she is again reunited with her adored Pino.