After a life filled with love, Dolores Helen Santilli Dean peacefully passed away surrounded by her family on February 15th, 2024. She had bravely battled many sudden and severe health issues, and finally, God decided it was time for her to come home.
Dolores was a middle child of Paolo and Rose (Vinci) Santilli, and so very proud of her Italian heritage — man, could she cook!
She is survived by her youngest sister, Rosalie Averill with her husband Richard, while her older sister, Concetta (Connie), brother Angelo and niece Diane left this earth before her.
Dolores had been married to the love of her life, John Dean, for over 58 years, living almost all of them in the same home in Oxford where they raised their family.
In addition to her husband, Dolores leaves many descendants to spread her light: her three children, Denise, John (Aimee Knorr) and Christopher (Margaret Cleary), and five grandchildren that she adored: Abigail, James, Neil, Mia, and Stella. S
he was also proud Auntie and Godmother to countless nieces and nephews as far away as California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and our Valley. Thanks to her trusted calendar, she never missed sending love for every single birthday and anniversary.
Dolores was equally proud of her local roots, as a Seymour high school grad class of 1960, and a member of her own pack, “The Six-teens.” Together with her husband, she remained an active member of Saint Michael’s Church in Beacon Falls for over 50 years.
She served on the Ladies Guild, taught CCD, and brought smiles to so many children as “the face painting lady” at countless church fairs. Years ago, she also found a passion for bowling, and became a member of The Alley Cats in the Women’s Bowling League at Valley Bowl, and was so proud of crossing the 200 score! Dolores loved her UCONN girls and NY Yankees, and could often be heard yelling advice and encouragement out to the screen from her spot on the sofa next to her husband.
Dolores lived in Oxford for more than half a century, and actively took part in community building there. She loved the small-town life, and everyone who knew her loved her back. Wanting to make a difference, she served on the Junior Women’s League, and on the Friends of the Library Board. Her home is filled with books (so many cookbooks!) and as she was a ferocious reader, this was a natural fit.
She was most proud when her years of hard work came to fruition, and Oxford finally got its permanent spot for their library. Dolores showed her big smile and bigger heart to all who knew her, and her love for her family was beyond compare. In her final moments, she urged us all to remember that family is everything, to love hard and forgive often. She reminded us to tell the ones you love that they matter, because in the end, that love is all that matters. She was the light of our family, feisty, funny, loyal, and selfless, and she will be missed by every life she touched.
Relatives and friends are invited to greet the family and pay their respects on Friday, February 23, 2024, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm in the chapel of the SPINELLI-RICCIUTI FUNERAL HOME, 62 Beaver Street in Ansonia. On Saturday morning, her funeral will begin at 9:15 am from the funeral home then proceed to St. Michael’s Church in Beacon Falls for her Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 am. Entombment will follow in Mt. St. Peter Mausoleum in Derby. To sign Dolores’s guestbook or share a memory, please visit www.spinelliricciutifh.com.
