Bella (Trippi) Melikian

Bella (Trippi) Melikian, 98, of Shrewsbury , peacefully passed away of natural causes into the loving arms of her Heavenly Father on February 1, 2021 at her daughter’s home in Los Angeles where she has resided for many years.

She was born in Worcester on April 12, 1922 to Giovanna Farina and Giuseppe Trippi who emigrated to America from Sclafani Bagni, Sicily. She lived the first 30 years of her life in the Shrewsbury Street area of Worcester and often recalled a happy home with a bountiful garden, fruit trees and Fall canning time.

Bella graduated from Commerce High and Business School where she strove to excel and became an excellent typist. She worked her first job in the office at Camosse Brothers where she met the love of her life, George Melikian, and they married in June 1951. They had a loving marriage of 48 years and had 3 children along the way. 

From 1960 to 1999, Bella and George owned and operated the Shrewsbury Business Service on the lower level of their home. Referred to as a “small scale lettershop” the business featured what was considered cutting edge technology for those days serving the towns’ residents well for almost 40 years ~ many local organizations used it to help publish and distribute newsletters, including the Shrewsbury Historical Society. Bella would often help foreign students and college professors prepare their thesis or dissertation, inviting them into her kitchen for homemade pizza after a long night of work. Her hospitality was second nature.

A woman of faith, she was a member of the Old Italian Baptist Mission and a lifelong active member of Christ Baptist Church, Worcester, where she loved to sing in the choir and teach Sunday School. She was a Deaconess, Church Secretary, and a member of the Women’s Dorcas Society. Her life was a living example of her favorite Bible verse, Ephesians 4:32- “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ”. A caregiver at heart, Bella had a gift for lifting the spirits of people around her.

Volunteer service organizations included the Professional Businesswomen’s Club, Shrewsbury Women’s Club, and the Quota Club dedicated to serving the needs of the hearing impaired. She volunteered at the polls during elections often working late into the evening.

Mamma Bella, as she was affectionately called, was adored by all who knew her. A devoted wife, mother and grandmother, she led her life with love, kindness and generosity. She was a woman of style, elegance and grace ~ with a happy heart, a beautiful smile, bright sparkling eyes and a delightful sense of humor. She enjoyed her flower and vegetable gardens and often shared her summer’s bounty with friends and neighbors. She loved music and delighted in playing the organ. But her favorite place was in the kitchen cooking up her best family recipes which included her “delizioso” eggplant parmigiana and meatballs.

A New Englander at heart, she delighted in every season and treasured family vacations on Cape Cod. Later in life she became a California girl where she made a multitude of new friends who were truly enamored by her beauty inside and out. She grew close to her grandsons, passing on her life’s lessons, participating in school activities, teaching them Italian phrases, getting to know their friends and families and, of course, cooking for and feeding them. And naturally she and the family dogs shared a special bond of unconditional love. She made every day “una bella giornata”. A special joy in her life was visiting her beloved cousins in Palermo and Sclafani Bagni making several trips to the beautiful Italian island with her daughter Robin and family.

Predeceased by her husband in 1999, she is survived by a son, G. Alan Melikian (Cindy) of Dudley, and two daughters, Betty Jane Martinelli (Nick) of Shrewsbury and Robin Jameson (John) with whom she lived, grandchildren Taylor Melikian and Miranda (Melikian) Delaney (Pat), Dina Martinelli, and Devin and Riley Jameson, many nieces and nephews, and scores of cousins in Sicily. A brother, Angelo Trippi, and 5 sisters Rose Savastano, Mary Camosse, Vera Mercadante, Ida Zannotti, and Gloria Antonioli all predeceased her.

The family kindly thanks her dear friend Susie, her devoted caregiver and best friend Millie, and Illuminate Hospice which provided tender loving care in the last weeks of her life. There are no calling hours. A private funeral for the immediate family will be held Saturday, February 13, 11:00 AM, at Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel, 370 Plantation St. Worcester, followed by a graveside burial at Mountain View cemetery in Shrewsbury where Bella will be laid to rest beside her beloved George. To view the services live, visit online www.mercadantefuneral.com/liveservices beginning at 11 am. A celebration in honor of her wonderful life will be planned in the future when it is safe to gather.

In loving memory of Bella, donations may be made to restore a precious 14th century altarpiece in the family church “Chiesa di San Filippo” in Sclafani Bagni, Sicily. Checks may be sent payable to and in care of Robin Jameson, 419 N. Larchmont Blvd. #223, Los Angeles, CA. 90004, or to the “Mama Bella Scholarship”, of the Luzerne Music Center for the betterment of children and music, care of CBH Business Services, P.O. Box 315, Glens Falls, NY 12801.   www.luzernemusic.org/donate