Marlene DeSanto

1933 - 2021

Marlene DeSanto
May 9, 2021
In loving memory of Marlene DeSanto: wife, mother, grandma and yoga pioneer. Following a courageous battle with cancer, Marlene passed away on May 9, 2021 at the age of 88 surrounded by loved ones.
Marlene was a lifelong Connecticut resident, where she and her husband Lou of 68 years, raised four beautiful children, Alicia, Tara, Keith, and Beth. Marlene had an uncanny ability to find joy in life's simplest pleasures. Most days you would find her in her garden cultivating vast beds of colorful flowers and fresh vegetables. While Marlene took great pride in her own garden, she also enjoyed sharing nature's gifts with her community as an active member of the Guilford Garden Club.
Marlene devoted much of her life to the practice of yoga and often spoke of its unique ability to connect people to themselves, the earth, and most importantly, each other. After she founded the Total Health Center, a well-known yoga studio in Guilford, Marlene continued to teach and inspire others through her yoga practice, often teaching numerous classes per week, well into her 80s. A spiritual healer at heart, following the early deaths of her two daughters, Tara and Beth, Marlene started a support group for mothers who have lost children. As a devout Catholic, Marlene lived an impassioned life of unwavering commitment to her faith. Those who knew Marlene may find comfort in knowing she is reunited with her daughters in God's Kingdom.
Marlene's positive spirit and energetic approach to life has not come to an end with her death. Marlene is survived by her husband, Lou, her two children, Alicia and Keith DeSanto, her son-in-law Robert Yanzer, and her four grandchildren, Jesse, Alyssa, Sean and Aurora, who have vowed to live every day with intention and grace in her memory.
Marlene's gentle soul brought abundant joy and peace to all those she encountered. She will be greatly and forever missed.
COVID-19 GUIDELINES MUST BE FOLLOWED - SOCIAL DISTANCING AND FACE MASKS MUST BE WORN.
Friends are invited to PASS through calling hours on Monday, May 17 from 4 – 7 p.m. at the Guilford Funeral Home, 115 Church St., Guilford. Mass of Christian Burial at St. George Church, 33 Whitfield St, Guilford on Tuesday, May 18 at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in Saint George Cemetery, Hubbard Rd., Guilford (LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE). Registration is required, to register or visit - www.stgeorgeguilford.org/reservation-for-funeral-mass/ For those with no internet access, you can call the office at 203-453-2788 x 215. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Guilford Garden Club, PO Box 608, Guilford, CT 06437 or CT Hospice, 100 Double Beach Rd., Branford, CT 06405. To share a memory or leave condolences, visit www.guilfordfuneralhome.com