Obituary of Margaret Sayko

Margaret Sayko, 90, of Rome, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 3, 2019. She was born in Rome, NY, on February 19, 1929, daughter of the late Antonio and Catherine Muscarella Rotolo. Margaret attended Rome Schools. On November 20, 1948 she married Steven Sayko, in St. John the Baptist Church. He passed away on June 1, 1978. Margaret retired from Rome State School after fifty years of employment. She loved her job especially cooking for the individuals she worked with. Margaret gave all the meals she made her special "Italian" touch. She was recognized for her caring of individuals with disabilities and received the Outstanding Employee of the Year Award. Margaret was very honored by this great recognition. She also was a volunteer for the DDSO and initiated a library program where she brought individuals from the DDSO to the library to get books. Margaret loved her flower garden and vegetable garden and grew some of the best tomatoes and peppers in Rome, NY. She spent many years helping her parents and brothers run the farm on South James St., growing vegetables for market. You could always find her in her yard cutting the grass, weeding the lawn or trimming her flowers and bushes. Margaret loved the outdoors. She enjoyed going to Florida on many occasions and especially liked rides to Sylvan Beach, Lake Delta and camping in the Thousand Islands. Margaret enjoyed going to the Casino. She was a great cook. Her family always looked forward to her eggplant parmesan, lasagna, and sauce. Margaret was a woman of strong Catholic faith and was a member of St. John the Baptist Church. Margaret was kind and caring of others. Surviving are two children; Diane Cardiff and her husband Donald and Sandra Minsaas all of Rome. She loved her family, especially her grandchildren: Shelley Bartolotti and Dean D'Amore, Kim Rubin and husband Mark, Steven Minsaas and wife Susan, David Minsaas and Brianna Gualtieri, great grandchildren: Carley, Caden, Spencer, Samantha, Kaelyn and Jason. Also surviving, are several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Steve, and son Michael Sayko, and six brothers: Angelo, Nick, Henry, Tom, Sam and Jack Rotolo and a sister, Anna Rotolo. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, March 7, 2019, at 11:00 a.m., at St. John the Baptist Church with the Rev. Paul F. Angelicchio officiating. The family will receive friends at church, from 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Spring burial will be in St. John the Baptist Cemetery. There are no calling hours. Memorial contributions may be made to St. John the Baptist Church Memorial Fund, 210 E. Dominick St., Rome, NY 13440 or Oneida County Office for the Aging, 301 W. Dominick St. Rome, NY 13440. Arrangements are by the Nicholas J. Bush Funeral Home, Inc., 7751 Merrick Rd. To offer online condolences, please visit www.njbushfuneralhome.com