Adeline Robustelli

1953 - 2017

Adeline (Adelina) Robustelli

DOVER PLAINS - Adeline (Adelina) Robustelli died peacefully Tuesday, October 31, 2017 in her home in Dover Plains, New York from a rare neurological disease called Multiple Systems Atrophy (MSA). Adeline was born on June 4, 1953 in Sarno, Italy and traveled by boat to the United States with her parents Sebastiano and Antonia Robustelli when she was a child. She grew up in the Bronx and came of age during the 1960's. Adeline was a free spirit, a curious lifelong learner, an avid reader and was interested in learning about different languages and cultures. She was a philosophical and spiritual person and enjoyed equally time spent laughing with friends and family and musing on the larger workings of the universe. Adeline gardened and was close to the earth and its many beings. In particular, after her children left for college, she learned how to wildcraft herbs, make natural creams and lipbalms, and create a range of traditional healing remedies. Professionally, she worked most recently as a Dietician and Dietary Manager at New Milford Nursing Home for nearly 20 years.

Adeline was a loving mother, grandmother and aunt, and her children, nieces and grandchildren were a deep well of meaning and joy in her life. She was a profoundly compassionate person who family members and friends confided in and sought out for her wisdom and non-judgmental listening. She was a life-long source of support for her two children, and she encouraged them to pursue and follow their dreams to the fullest. She lived her adult life in close proximity to her mother, father, siblings and siblings' families, reflecting the great value she placed on raising her children in an intergenerational community with strong and loving relationships. In the last years of her illness, she demonstrated her resilience, sense of humor and love of life with a deep commitment and joy that she felt, especially in the presence of her grandchildren. She will be profoundly missed.

She was preceded in death by her father Sebastiano Robustelli. She is survived by her mother, Antonia Robustelli of Dover Plains, NY, her children and their partners, Arthur Romano and Donna Chung of Washington, DC, Sabrina Romano and Buell Thomas of Bronx, NY, her three grandchildren, her siblings Anthony, Gino and Ann Marie Robustelli and their children.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Monday, November 6, 2017 at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 62 Mill St., Dover Plains, NY.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Empire Justice Center, http://www.empirejustice.org/ which works to support people with disabilities and helped Adeline in her journey, or The MSA Coalition, https://www.multiplesystematrophy.org/ which is looking for a cure for MSA. To send the family an online condolence, please visit www.hufcutfuneralhome.com.