Dolores A. DePaolo

1929 - 2017

SOUTHINGTON - Dolores A. DePaolo, of Southington, passed away Wednesday, May 24, 2017, in Maine.

Dolores was born in Mount Vernon, N.Y. on Dec. 10, 1929, daughter of Alice and Frank DeRenzis. Dolores was predeceased by her sister. Diane. Her sister, Anita, resides in Mesa, Ariz. Dolores attended the Katherine Grimes School in New York and moved to Southington in 1941. She graduated from Lewis High School with the class of 1947. Dolores married Joseph J. DePaolo, Sr., in 1950 in Southington from St. Thomas Church. They raised five children, Paul (married to Judith), Pamela, Val Edward, Perry (married to Tracey), and Joe, Jr. (married to Karen). Dolores' grandchildren are Andrew, Alicia, Michael, Joey, and Michelle. Dolores' cousins, Vickie and Gloria will be remembered for their kindness to Dolores. Dolores was past president of the St. Thomas Ladies' Guild and an active member of the Mother's Circle and St. Rita's Circle, and held meetings at her home with Rev. Dupont. Dolores was a longtime parishioner of St. Thomas Church. Dolores founded, owned, and operated Home Decorating Center during the 1970's. She was the first woman to own and operate an interior home design business in the area, and was a successful interior designer, highly respected for her talent in creating residential room designs. She was an early pioneer in the decorating business when there were no others like it in the Southington area. Dolores was very dedicated to her family and was a creative cook, improving on delightful recipes she learned from her grandmothers and mother over the years. Dolores assisted her husband, Joseph, in DePaolo's Furniture until his retirement in the late 1990's. Dolores and Joseph worked tirelessly to help their children in their educations and their careers, supporting their various endeavors. Pamela and Val Edward own and manage DePaolo Furniture in its third generation. Perry is a mortgage originator with Liberty Bank, Paul is an IT support professional, and Joe, Jr. is an IT manager.

The Dolores A. DePaolo family would like to thank the medical professionals who helped Dolores and treated her with great care and compassion over the years, especially Dr. Ralph Prezioso, Dr. Leo Veleas, and the Bradley Hospital staff. We are very grateful for the personal attention they gave her.

The funeral will be held on Friday, June 2, at 9:15 a.m. at the DellaVecchia Funeral Home, 211 N. Main St., Southington to St. Thomas Church, 99 Bristol St., Southington for a Mass at 10 a.m. Burial will be at St. Thomas Cemetery. Calling hours will be Thursday, June 1, from 4 to 8 p.m. For online condolences and directions please visit, www.dellavecchiafh.com.