Ada Agresti Martin, 95, of Blacksburg, VA passed away on Saturday. She was preceded in death by her husband Dante O. Martin, Jr., and is survived by her son Louis Gaetano Martin (wife Debbie) of Blacksburg, daughter Elissa Martin Devens (husband Robert) of St. Augustine, Florida, grandson Jonathan Peter Martin of Blacksburg, and cousins, nieces, and nephews in Bologna and Florence, Italy.
A native of Bologna, Italy, Ada met her Italian-American husband Dante as he advanced with the 432nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery (5th Army) during the US Army liberation of Italy in WWII. The family moved to Blacksburg in 1959. Dante and Ada were President and Vice President of their stone contracting company, which resulted in many beautiful “Hokie Stone” buildings on the Virginia Tech campus.
Ada Martin was a devoted wife and mother, a devout Catholic, a fiercely loyal American, and a consummate Italian chef and hostess. She will be missed greatly.
A Funeral Mass was held yesterday at 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Blacksburg. Interment followed at Westview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Blacksburg Rescue Squad, 1300 Progress St NW, Blacksburg, Va.