Aldine Calacurcio obit

Aldine Thomas Obituary

 

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Aldine J. Calacurcio Thomas, 89, of Rockford, passed away Tuesday, July 4, 2017. She was born in Rockford on June 8, 1928; to parents, Alfred and Helen (Copp) Calacurcio. She married her loving husband, Roger E. Thomas in 1953, and was married for 25 years, before his passing in 1978. Aldine was an active woman and loved sports. She played for the Rockford Peaches in 1947, as an infield alternate and practiced with the team in Cuba. Aldine was also a talented trap shooter and you could find her most weekends at the local Plug & Pellet Sportsman's Club where she collected over 60 first place trophies. She prided herself in truly being accepted as one of the 'guys'. She was employed at J.L. Clark, where she played on the women's auxiliary softball team, and went on to retire from Warner Lambert in in the early 1990's. Aldine lived her life to the fullest and her family will cherish her memory always. She is survived by her sister, Doris Calacurcio Johnson; sister-in-law, Helen Calacurcio; nieces, Vicki (Tom) Manson, Lisa (Paul) Henderson, Susan Huhsman, Carrie Lamb, Jessie (Terry) Bell, Julie Thomas, Janell Thomas; grand-nieces and nephews; great-grand-nieces and nephews; and friend, Steve Henderson. Aldine is predeceased by her husband; parents; brother, Frank "Sonny" Calacurcio; niece, Christine White; and great-niece, Ashley Huhsman.

Memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, July 9, 2017, at the Fitzgerald Funeral Home, 1860 S. Mulford Rd., Rockford, IL, with visitation from 4 p.m. until time of service. Burial will be private and on a later date.

She was a former shortstop who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Calacurcio batted and threw right handed. She was born in Rockford, Illinois.

In 1947, Calacurcio attended the AAGPBL spring training games held at Havana, Cuba. Afterwards, she saw limited action with her hometown Rockford Peaches.

The AAGPBL folded in 1954, but there is a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York, since November 5, 1988, that honors the entire league rather than any individual figure.