Carmelina Rose "Lee" STEIN

STEIN, Carmelina Rose "Lee"

Carmelina Rose "Lee" Licitra Stein, 80, of Middletown, died peacefully on March 28 after a short stay at Middlesex Memorial Hospital. Born June 2, 1932, Lee was the beloved wife of Theodore Estes Stein Sr. for 57 years and a devoted mother to their three children. The youngest daughter of Salvatore and Concettina Licitra, she spent her childhood in the embrace of an extended family of relatives and neighbors in the tight-knit community of the city's North End, where she developed close friendships that endured through her life. She was part of the generation of American-born sons and daughters of Sicily who emerged as community leaders during the late 20th Century. During her professional career, Lee was executive secretary to two mayors, secretary to the president of Safeway Products and vice-president of TELIC Corp. She also worked at the Russell Co. and Wesleyan University. While working for Mayor Clew in 1954, she met and fell in love with a Wesleyan student, and they were married in 1955. In 1962, the young couple moved to rural southern Middletown and commenced raising a family. She was fiercely proud of her heritage and remained close to her parents, sisters Antoinette and Josephine and brother Joseph, making sure that regular family gatherings, centered around bonds of love and rustic Sicilian cuisine, were central to her children's' upbringing. Lee had a big heart and a big laugh. Her close friends were dear to her and she cherished the many wonderful times they shared. She loved words and word games, especially the New York Times crossword puzzle, of which she was a devotee for many years. She was a big fan of opera and of classical music and loved to travel with Ted, visiting Portugal, Italy, Sicily, Russia, Paris, the Cote D'Azur, Germany, Belgium, Mexico and taking two cruises to the Caribbean. She is survived by her husband, her son Theo and daughter-in-law Aimée of Lafayette, CO; her son Alex, daughter-in-law MaryAnn and granddaughter Emma of Chester; her daughter Nina and son-in-law Jeffrey Dunn of Bentonville, AR.
A celebration of her life will be held for friends and family at the Wadsworth Mansion, located at 421 Wadsworth Street in Middletown, on Friday, April 5 from 6 - 9 p.m. The funeral service will be held at St. Sebastian's Church on Saturday April 6 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in the name of Lee Stein be made to the Middlesex Hospital Hospice and Palliative Care Program or the Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center.