Mary Tonidandel

MERIDEN - Mary Tonidandel, 103, of Meriden, beloved wife of the late Otto Tonidandel, entered eternal life on Sunday, April 7, 2013.

Born 1909, in Fai Della Paganella, Italy, the daughter of the late Inginio and Sofia Pallanck. She came to this country in 1927, with her husband Otto and had been a resident of Meriden until June 2012, she then moved to Trumbull. Mary was a homemaker most of her life but did work for the former Sexton and Reanard Companies for approximately 10 years. Her family was most important to her along with her very strong faith in prayer, the family could always count on her prayers in time of need. Mary loved to do needlework, and tend to her beautiful flower gardens. Her greatest passion was cooking and sharing her recipes with family and friends. While she was raising her family, she became a member of the North Italian Club and enjoyed attending outings there with her husband and many friends. In addition to her husband, and parents, seven siblings, and her son, Frank Tonidandel predeceased her.

Survivors include her daughter, Gloria Steele, of Bridgeport; grandson, Mark Steele and his wife, Theresa, of Sparta, N.J; granddaughter, Daneen Lewis and husband, Pascal, of New York; five precious great-grandchildren, Joshua, Kelsey and Lucas Steele and Hakeem and Salief Lewis; in addition to several nieces and nephews in Italy.

The family would like to give a special thank you to all the staff of Middlebrook Farms at Trumbull for their kind and caring attention to Mary.

Friends are invited to attend a prayer service which will be held at the Commerce Hill Funeral Home, 4798 Main St. Bridgeport on Friday, April 12, at 11 a.m. Friends may call on Friday after 10 a.m. until time of service. A private burial will follow at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Meriden CT. For online condolences and to light a virtual candle visit us at commercehillfh.com