Emily Colantonio, taught piano to thousands; at 93

In the 1930s, pianist Emily Colantonio went door to door in Needham seeking students who wanted to learn to play Beethoven or the latest sheet music hits from Tin Pan Alley.

"She went to the conservatory when women didn't go to college at all," said pianist Richard Giglio, who first met her in 1968 when they worked together at Boston Organ and Piano. "She told me her father really spoiled her. He wouldn't let her do the dishes because he thought she should be practicing the piano."

Mrs. Colantonio, who graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1936 and taught piano to thousands of Boston area students of all ages, died of cancer Aug. 2 at her home in Needham. She was 93.

As an only child born to Italian immigrants, Mrs. Colantonio was doted upon but she did not live a pampered life. She lost two husbands and raised three daughters on her own by giving piano lessons.

"She was an inspiration to us all," said her granddaughter, Justine Waitkus-Day of Boston, who wore her grandmother's 1938 crushed satin wedding dress for her own wedding July 23 at Plimoth Plantation. "It was truly an incredible experience to wear it. She kept it in a cherry chest in a pillow case her grandmother made and it was in mint condition," Waitkus-Day said.

Mrs. Colantonio, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer almost a year ago, willed herself to live long enough to attend the wedding, according to her family, and to see the birth of her first great-grandchild, Yuxin Waitkus-Tsang, who was born in May to another granddaughter.

"She never complained at the wedding. She was supposed to be on oxygen at that point but she refused to use her tank -- or her cane," said her oldest daughter, Marjorie Waitkus of Plymouth.

Mrs. Colantonio was born in Needham to Adeline and Giaccomo Mescia when her mother was only 16. Her father worked as a mason for the town of Needham and her mother later supervised seamstresses at a children's clothing factory.

Her parents saved to buy their young daughter a Steinway. She played recitals on the baby grand until the 1980s and performed at salons in Boston in the 1940s and '50s.

Mrs. Colantonio's first marriage ended while her first child was a baby. Her second husband died of a sudden heart attack in 1960, leaving her with two young children.

She went to work teaching at Boston Organ located next to the Steinway Company and Wurlitzer Music on Boylston Street.

At the music store, Mrs. Colantonio became like a second mother to Giglio. "She just adopted me into her family and treated me like a son," he said.

She coached Giglio and he went on to tour with the Yamaha Company for nine years. He also played the organ for the San Diego Padres and later the Boston Red Sox from 1995 to 2002.

Mrs. Colantonio, who was known as "Nonnie" in her later years, was renowned for her skills in the kitchen and was always searching for inspiration from new recipes. She cooked without measurements and used herbs and tomatoes from her garden. Her family recalled her stuffed artichokes, her gnocchi, biscotti, and a special leg of lamb roasted with garlic, coffee, brandy, and heavy cream.

Mrs. Colantonio continued teaching piano at her home until a year ago. She also worked at daughter Linda Shumway's business, Plymouth Winery, until last summer.

"She put labels on the bottles. She tended bar and poured wine samples," Shumway said. "She loved to tell stories and she was proud of all of us."

In addition to her daughters, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter, Mrs. Colantonio leaves another daughter, Diane Colantonio-Ray of Oakland, Calif.; two other granddaughters; and a grandson.

A funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. today at St. Joseph Church in Needham. Burial will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery in Needham.