Christendom College mourns the loss of ‘Madame’ Maria Barone, who died last week on January 18 at the age of 79. A professor of modern languages at the college from 1981 to 2005, Barone was beloved for her generous heart, gentle humor, and the strong devotion she had for her students and the entirety of the Christendom community.
“Dr. Barone was a beautiful, kind human being who never failed to bring her stylish, European flair to her classrooms,” says Dr. Robert C. Rice, professor emeritus at Christendom, who served as vice president for academic affairs during Barone’s tenure at Christendom. “She was a staple of our community for nearly twenty years. Christendom truly loses a part of its history with her passing.”
Born in Cuneo, Italy, in 1936, Barone earned her Ph.D. in languages from the Boccini University of Milan, before moving to the United States with her husband, Angelo, in the 1970s. She taught French and Spanish, and, occasionally, Italian at Christendom from 1981 until she retired in 2005 at the age of 69. After her husband died in 2009, Barone spent the rest of her life with her daughter and granddaughter.
May her soul, and all the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.