Mary (DeLillo) Tortorello

Mary DeLillo Tortorello of Yonkers, N.Y. passed away peacefully on Monday, June 29, 2020.  She was 100 years old. Born in Bari, Italy on January 7 ^th , 1920 she arrived in the United States of America through Elis Island at the age of 2 where her family settled in the Bronx, NY. She was the last of seven siblings, Rose, Christine, Ann, Nicholas, Joseph, and Anthony.  She married Frank Tortorello in 1941 and had two children Marie (Gallinari) and Robert, and moved to Yonkers, NY in 1958. She is survived by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren who fondly called her "Tootsie Nanny" or "Nanny with the Boots".  Her nieces, nephews, and their families would visit to have a cup of coffee and listen to stories she would tell about their parents growing up. A lifelong member of Dunwoodie Baptist Church in Yonkers, Mary was a devoted parishioner who had many friends there. Mary’s memory was clear as a bell till the end - she recanted stories of her wedding day while in the hospital last month. She joined Frank in heaven on their 79 ^th wedding anniversary day. Whether she meant to leave this earth on purpose that day we will never know, but it’s a wonderful story, like the ones she always liked to tell.

She will be buried with her husband in Calverton National Cemetery, Long Island, NY. Section 14 Site 773.

HAWTHORNE FUNERAL HOME

21 West Stevens Ave.

Hawthorne, New York 10532

914-769-4404