In Memory of Mary (Russo) D'Onofrio

Obituary

Mary (Russo) D'Onofrio  passed away surrounded by her loving family on April 9, 2026, just shy of her 100th birthday. She was born on June 23, 1926, in Utica, N.Y., to Joseph Russo and Catherine Saltarelli, both born in Italy. She is survived by one sister, Virginia Cecilia. She was predeceased by two sisters, Josephine DeCarlo and Lucy Daniels; her brothers, Frederick, Louis, Anthony, Nicholas, and infant Thomas Russo; her brothers-in-law, Edmund DeCarlo, Daniel Daniels, and Peter Cecilia; and her sister-in-law, Dora Russo.

She married the love of her life, Rocco A. D'Onofrio, in July of 1949. Married for forty-three years, they raised five children together until his passing in 1992. Together, they built a loving home in New Hartford, where family and friends gathered to enjoy an abundance of food and laughter. Family meant everything to Mary and Rocco.

Mary graduated from Utica’s T.R. Proctor High School in 1944. She continued her education at Eastman Dental School in Rochester, N.Y., and received her Dental Hygiene Teaching Certificate from the State of New York. She worked for the Whitesboro School District as a dental hygiene teacher for more than twenty years before managing Arlott Office Products with her husband until her retirement.

A pioneer of her time, Mary held many leadership positions in the community, including Chairwoman of the Mohawk Valley Dental Hygienist Association. She was an active member of numerous philanthropic organizations, including Zonta, the Opti-Mrs. Club, and the Boys Club of Utica, where she was nominated as Woman of the Year. She was also a faithful member of St. John the Evangelist Church in New Hartford, where she taught Communion classes.

Mary had a lifelong passion for golf and travel. She was a member of local clubs, including Yahnundasis and Skenandoa, and loved golfing in the Adirondacks at Thendara near her family’s camp in Old Forge. She chaired many local tournaments and won several women’s invitationals throughout her long career—including a proud hole-in-one in Turtle Bay, Florida. She also helped found the Zaharias golf tournament in Utica, which raised donations for the American Cancer Society.

Mamma Mary is survived by her five loving children: Thomas A. D’Onofrio and his wife, Stephanie Leto; Kathryn and her husband, Herbert Cully; James M. D’Onofrio and his wife, Sandra; Cindy D’Onofrio; and Lori and her husband, William Hamlin. She is also survived by seven grandchildren: Michael, Bethann, and Thomas D’Onofrio; Stephen Cully, and Matthew Cully and his wife, Stephanie; Daniel Hamlin and his wife, Cate, David Hamlin, and James Hamlin (infant deceased); and five great-grandchildren: Olivia and Ryan D’Onofrio, Ellie and Jackson Hamlin, and Rocco Anthony Cully. She also leaves behind many nieces and nephews, including Roland DeCarlo and his wife, Lynda, as well as many dear friends, including Monica Guernier, Vera Sadallah, and Sally Hofmeister 

Her legacy will live on in the hearts of her family and dear friends. Her family is grateful to her caregivers, Noreen, Fatima, Lorraine, Rifeta, Maggie, and the staff at the Siegenthaler Center.

Services will be held at the convenience of the family. Arrangements are with Friedel, Williams & Edmunds Funeral and Cremation Services, 13 Oxford Rd., New Hartford.

In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to the Hospice Siegenthaler Center located at 4277 Middle Settlement Road, New Hartford, N.Y. 13413.

For online expressions of sympathy go to fwefh.com.