She lived with a song in her heart for all

Hundreds of parishioners heard her skills, and she helped scores of students develop theirs.

By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN, Times Staff Writer
Published January 2, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT

For more than three decades, parishioners at St. Joseph Catholic Church in West Tampa heard Jennie Locicero play the organ.

She played during services. She played during weddings and funerals. She played during the church's Christmas shows, which she also put on every year.

She played so much for free at the church that about 20 years ago a priest gave her the organ and told her to take it home.

And from then on, "we had two pianos in the living room and an organ ... I was a very good listener," said her husband, Baldassare Locicero, 80.

Mrs. Locicero - a fixture in the local music community who taught dozens of students and performed with the Tampa Bay Symphony, a precursor to the Florida Orchestra - died Thursday due to complications from diabetes. She was 80.

Mrs. Locicero grew up in West Tampa, the daughter of Italian immigrants. Her father died when she was 3 years old, and her mother had a popular grocery store. She played the piano as a little girl, and became proficient in the violin as well.

After graduating from the University of Tampa, Mrs. Locicero taught at local elementary schools and gave private lessons in her home. She had dark eyes and dark hair that she sometimes wore in a bun, and a gentle demeanor with her students.

After giving birth to her daughter, Mrs. Locicero focused on private lessons in her home. Her approach remained the same as it had been in the classroom.

"She loved her students, and they loved her," said her husband of 49 years. "They would tell her their problems. It was like a form of confession."

Her mother taught hundreds of students over the years, and many came to her funeral, said Jeanie Locicero, 47.

The organist at Mrs. Locicero's funeral recalled for her family how she had played at his parents' wedding, and how it was a privilege to play at the funeral of someone so beloved.

"She always had that smile on her face," said Jeanie Locicero, who followed in her mother's footsteps to become a pianist and organ player at Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg. "She had played at so many functions for so many people."

Abhi Raghunathan can be reached at araghunathan@sptimes.com or 727 893-8472.

BIOGRAPHY

Jennie Locicero

Born: Jan. 28, 1927.

Died: Dec. 27, 2007.

Survivors: husband, Baldassare Locicero; daughter Jeanie Locicero.

Services: Arrangements handled by Boza and Roel Funeral Home, Tampa.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the St. Joseph Church Organ Fund, 3012 Cherry St., Tampa, 33607-3208.

[Last modified January 1, 2008, 21:28:24]