Antonina “Nina” Cutugno, M.D.

THE BRONX, N.Y. – If you met Dr. Antonina “Nina” Cutugno there was a good chance you would remember her. Full of energy and spirit, she was a direct, driven and accomplished individual, a loving sister, and a wonderful aunt. Auntie never met a squirrel or cat she didn’t love. She was the middle child of an Italian naval officer who served in both WWI and WWII. She was born in Torre Faro, in the Province of Messina, Sicily on June 10, 1928. With a shock of beautiful blonde hair and piercing blue eyes to go with her vibrant personality, we always figured she had some Viking stock in her from their presence in Sicily a thousand years ago. She died on Saturday, August 22, 2020 at Monte Fiore Hospital in The Bronx at the age of 92, amazing us with her fortitude to the end. Nina came to the U.S. shortly after WWII with limited English skills and work experience. She had family in NYC and contributed to the U.S. by supporting herself while completing the nursing program at Queens College in NYC. It did not take Auntie long at all to realize she didn’t need a doctor to tell her what to do. She completed her pre-med work at Hunter College in NYC and then attended medical school at the University of Catania in Sicily, Italy and received her M.D. in OB/GYN. She returned to NYC, passed the licensing requirements and practiced in The Bronx until she was in her late 70s. She also followed in the military footsteps of her Father and served her adopted country on active and reserve duty with the U.S. Navy as a doctor in the medical branch in the Philippines, Italy and the U.S. She is survived by her sister, Flavia Sorbo, her longtime and trusted friend Ernst Hauser, both of The Bronx, her niece Linda Daigle of Raleigh, NC, her nephew Ric Sorbo of Cary, NC, and many other extended family members in the U.S. and Italy. We wish to express our gratitude to those who cared for Auntie in the last years of her life – those special caregivers who were so patient and kind to her at her home, the doctors at the James Peters VA Hospital in The Bronx, and the staff at Memorial Presbyterian. And a special thank you to Monte Fiore Hospital and to Alvita Home Care, who were able to care for her at the end as the virus kept many of us from being with Auntie. She was so proud to have served her country and will be buried with her military brothers and sisters at Historic Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, NC. Auntie, we will all miss you. The squirrels at Fordham Hill Oval will especially miss you. Arrangements in North Carolina are by Bryan-Lee Funeral Home of Raleigh. Online condolences may be made at www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com. Lucia Bros. Funeral Home in The Bronx, N.Y. assisted the family with local arrangements.