Santina "Tina" Maria Broccolino

Community Mourns a Family Matriarch and Community Leader

Santina “Tina” Maria (née Matassa) Broccolino, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, cousin, aunt and friend, died peacefully on April 1, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 29, 1939, to Dominick and Rose (née Valenziano) Matassa, Tina spent part of her early childhood in Staten Island, New York, before her family returned to Baltimore. She helped (and sometimes raised a little havoc) at her father’s and the family’s Valenziano Brothers Produce and Meat Market in Pigtown. Tina attended St. Jerome Catholic School, then Seton High School and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology from Mt. St. Agnes College in Baltimore.

In 1963, Tina married the love of her life, Victor A. Broccolino, beginning a devoted partnership that spanned more than six decades. Together they built a home grounded in faith, love, laughter, lots of food, and community. Tina took great pride in supporting Victor throughout his career in healthcare leadership while he was the President of hospitals in the Baltimore/Washington region. She also worked as a Medical Technologist at Bon Secours Hospital and North Charles Hospital, while also being actively involved in their church, and the activities and the PTA at her children’s schools: St. Agnes Elementary in Catonsville, Archbishop Keough High School, and Mt. St. Joseph High School.

Tina also contributed significantly to community and cultural organizations, including Howard County General Hospital, the Sons of Italy, the American Committee on Italian Migration (ACIM), the American Society of Italians and Friends, and the annual Baltimore Italian Festival at Rash Field, and many others. She found her greatest joy in being surrounded by her immediate and extended family, and was always the first to want to celebrate their accomplishments. Tina was an extraordinary hostess, welcoming friends and family into her home for more than 50 years of Holiday events and especially their Christmas Eve celebrations, culminating in Santa’s arrival. Once invited, you were always invited.

Though small in stature, Tina was huge in heart. Her generous and welcoming spirit, along with her determination to stand up for what was just and kind, especially for those too sick or those unable to speak for themselves, made her a force to be reckoned with. Her feisty and loving nature and festive personality were her calling cards.

Tina made it her mission to serve the community in Howard County. She helped lead initiatives that impacted thousands of lives, including raising funds to establish the Claudia Mayer-Tina Broccolino Cancer Resource Center, which has supported cancer patients and their families for more than 25 years. She was also a founding member of Blossoms of Hope, a countywide beautification and fundraising effort supporting those affected by cancer. She will be remembered for her lasting philanthropic efforts with these and many additional organizations in Howard County, and throughout Maryland.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Victor Broccolino; her children: Lisa and her husband, David; Anita; Victor and his wife, Tracy; and Dino and his wife, Kelly; her grandchildren: Thomas Matthew and Derek, Elam, Dino Michael, Maria Elise, Cecelia, Ester, Catarina, Dominick, Gianina, and Shana; and many extended family members, including Tina’s cherished first cousins, her step mother-in-law Liliana Broccolino, her brother-in-laws and their wives: Dario & Bonnie Broccolino and Livio and Diane Broccolino, in addition to her dear friends who miss her deeply. She was preceded in death by her parents, Dominick and Rose Matassa; her father-in-law and mother-in-law: Italio and Lidia Broccolino, and her late sister-in-law: Donna Broccolino.

The family will receive visitors on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at the Ten Oaks Conference Center & Ballroom, 5000 Signal Bell Ln, Clarksville, MD 21029, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and again from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Church of the Resurrection, 3175 Paulskirk Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21042, on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Entombment to follow immediately at Dulaney Valley Cemetery/Mausoleum in Timonium.

In lieu of flowers and in keeping with her lifelong spirit of caring for others, memorial contributions may be made in Tina’s name to the Claudia Mayer-Tina Broccolino Cancer Resource Center Endowment Fund by following this link: https://secure.jhu.edu/form/CMTBCRC You must select: CMCRC as the designation. (Please see link below) And, please include: CMTBCRC Endowment in the Additional Comments section. or Mail your contribution to: Johns Hopkins Howard County Foundation/CMTBCRC 5755 Cedar Lane, Columbia, MD 21044 MUST include: CMTBCRC Endowment in the memo section of your check.

Arrangements by Charles S. Zannino Funeral Service, P.A..

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.