Carmela Garito

Heaven gained an angel on December 30, 2017. Carmela Jean Spadaro Garito, who was affectionately known as Molly since birth, passed at the NYS Veterans Home in Oxford after a two-year stay.

Molly was predeceased by her loving husband Bart, her parents Joseph and Josephine Spadaro, brothers Anthony, John and Carmen, brothers-in-law John D’Angelo, Tony Zieno, Sam DiNoto, Tom, Joe, Ang and Tony Garito, sister-in-law Kay Spadaro, niece MaryJane Hughes and nephews Mark Zieno, and John and Marty Garito.

Left to cherish her memory are her five daughters and their families, Linda and Mike Boyer, of Kingston, JoAnn and Frank Provo, of Manassas, VA, Kathy and Bill Silvestri, of Endwell, Karen and Warren Webb, of Norwich, and Jacky Mikkonen, of Grants Pass, OR; thirteen adoring grandchildren Steve Gibbon, Kurt Provo, Monica Tyson, Kevin Boyer, Amy Conklin, Kara Tallardy, Brenda Haltner, Stephanie Gallant, Leah Mikkonen, Greg Webb, Gabe Mikkonen, Katie LoBianco, and Hannah Mikkonen; fourteen great-grandchildren Abel, Abigail, Allison, Anna, Atlas, Bodie, Emily, Finn, Joella, Judah, Luka, Otto, Thomas, and Tirzah; sisters Mary D’Angelo, Dolly DiNoto, and Theresa Zieno; sister-in-law Rose Spadaro; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Born on August 20, 1925, Molly was a lifelong resident of Norwich, NY, having graduated high school with the class of 1943. She wed Bart Garito on October 16, 1948. They enjoyed 64 years of marriage before his death in 2012. Molly and Bart enjoyed traveling and spending the winters in Ft. Myers, FL. Though macular degeneration left her legally blind many years ago, she never complained, but rather set the example of gracefully ‘dealing with the hand you were dealt.’ She loved old movies and Big Band music and often sang and hummed while doing routine tasks. Molly was an accomplished seamstress and enjoyed doing needlepoint and knitting. She was a communicant of St. Bartholomew’s Church, and was active in the Ave Maria Guild/Rosary Society. She laundered the church’s altar linens for many years. When her children were older, she went to work for the Norwich City Schools as a secretary in the guidance office of the junior high school. Her favorite role in life was that of wife and mother. She was very happy making a nice home for her husband and daughters, and her devotion to family will live on in inspiration for her extended family.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Molly will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 3, 2017, at the Church of St. Bartholomew, where the Rev. Ralph A. Bove, pastor, will officiate. Burial will take place in the spring at St. Paul’s Cemetery. Friends are invited to call at the Wilson Funeral Home on Tuesday, January 2, from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. The rosary will be recited by Molly’s daughter, Karen, immediately preceding calling hours.

Molly’s family expresses its sincerest thanks to the staff at the NYS Veterans Home for the excellent care they provided.

Contributions in Molly’s memory may be made to the NYS Commission for the Blind, The Atrium, 100 S. Salina St., Ste. 105, Syracuse, NY 13202, or to the Alzheimer’s Association, NYS Coalition, 4 Pine West Pl., #405, Albany, NY 12205.