Rachel LaGamba DiLaura

DiLaura, Rachel LaGamba (Devore)
Niagara Falls, NY: April 6, 1915 -September 1, 2008. Rachel LaGamba DiLaura, formerly of 3611 Chapin Avenue, Niagara Falls, NY, died peacefully at the age of 93 surrounded by family on September 1 in Niagara Falls following a protracted illness. She was predeceased by her parents, Innocenza (Bosso) and Frederico LaGamba, and her devoted husband of 62 years, Joseph John, and their infant son, Jeffrey Charles. She is survived by her devoted son, J. Gary DiLaura (Roseanne) of Niagara Falls, NY; and her beloved daughter, Cynthia DiLaura Devore (Carl) of Pittsford, NY. She is also survived by her three adored grandsons, Jeffrey DiLaura of Pennsylvania, and Michael and Adam Devore of Pittsford, New York, as well as two great-grandsons, Jesse and Jake DiLaura of Pennsylvania and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mrs. DiLaura worked for the City of Niagara Falls for almost 30 years, where she served as Principal Account Clerk to the Director of Public Works, as well as recording secretary for the TV Board of Examiners and for the Firemen's Fund. She was a past president of a retirement club for former city employees and was an original founder and past president of a social club, Club Xenia. She devoted her retirement years to gardening, ceramics, and her family, and enjoyed her role as a grandmother. Rachel was a woman before her time, managing both a high-pressure career and a young family when it was not fashionable for women to work. She felt her greatest accomplishment in her life was her family. Her family was her center: her husband was her heart and her children and grandchildren her soul. She loved her extended family of nieces and nephews as if they were her own, for she was the matriarch, having outlived her three brothers Guy, Joseph, and Louis, and three sisters, Christine Palermo Krawczyk, Theresa Previte, and Phyllis DePonceau. She was always seeking out ways to help those less fortunate and was known on Chapin Avenue as the Pied Piper for her charm with young children who lovingly called her the "cookie lady." She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
Funeral arrangements have been made through the Lane Funeral Home at 8622 Buffalo Avenue, Niagara Falls, New York. Calling hours will be on Thursday, September 4 from 6-9 PM. A prayer service will be held at Lane Funeral Home on Friday, September 5 at 9 AM, followed by a mass at St. Joseph's Church on Pine Avenue. Internment will be in St. Joseph's Cemetery. Contributions may be made in her memory to Niagara Hospice, 4675 Sunset Drive, Lockport, NY 14094, or to your favorite charity, or do something special for yourself in her memory. She would have wanted you to and would have smiled to know you were happy.