Betty-Lou (Neale) Girardi, 66, of Old Turnpike Road, died on Sunday, September 27, 2009 in Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, after a brief illness.

    Her husband of 40 years, Matteo R. Girardi, died in 2003. She leaves two sons, Matteo A. Girardi and Michael R. Girardi, both of Oakham; a daughter, Gina Marie Kelley and her husband Brian of Wethersfield, CT; three brothers, Ernest, John and Kenneth Neale, all of Worcester; a sister, Valerie Jenson of Worcester; 4 grandchildren, Justen and Taylor Kelley, Brittany and Dylan Girardi; and many nephews and nieces. A brother, Stephen “Steve” Neale and a sister, Barbara Cabana, predeceased her.

    Betty-Lou was born and raised in Worcester, daughter of George and Betty (Johnson) Neale, and has lived in Oakham for 38 years. She was a longtime hairdresser in the Worcester area and enjoyed cooking, knitting, crocheting, quilting, and taught ceramics.

    Relatives and friends are invited to attend calling hours from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 1st, in the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St., Holden. The funeral for Betty-Lou will be held on Friday, October 2nd, from the funeral home with an 11 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial in St. Thomas-A-Becket Church, 398 Vernon Ave., South Barre. Burial will follow in Worcester County Memorial Park, Paxton. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Betty-Lou’s memory may be made to the American Heart Assoc., 20 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701.