Avitabile, Carmella “Carmel”

Carmella “Carmel” Louise Avitabile, 87, a former resident of Elm Street in the Plantsville section of Southington, passed away peacefully on Sat., Aug. 7, 2021, at The Summit at Plantsville. Born in Southington on Oct. 28, 1933, she was the daughter of the late Joseph J. and Louise M. (Morgillo) Avitabile.

Carmel grew up in an Italian household -- her mother was from San Felice Cangello, Italy, and her father from Agerola, Italy. She embraced her heritage and fondly spoke of growing up on Liberty Street, considered the “old Italian neighborhood” in Southington. For many years, she hosted family in her home to celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a Christmas Eve Italian tradition which consisted of different seafood dishes.

When her brother, Joseph, died unexpectedly in 1972, Carmel and her mother became guardians of Joseph’s daughter and four sons. A graduate of Southington High School, she attended The Teachers College of Connecticut at New Britain before moving to California. For a brief time, she joined the Missionary Sisters in Norwood, Mass.

She retired from Nationwide Insurance Co. in Hamden as an accounting supervisor, and worked part time at Sears Roebuck and Co., also in Hamden, for more than 30 years. After retiring, she received an associate degree in general education from Tunxis Community College in Farmington and tutored many students there.

Carmel will be remembered as a devout Catholic who touched many lives through her involvement in the Church. She worked tirelessly as an apostle in her own parish, St. Thomas Church in Southington, as well as other Catholic churches in the area. She was very devoted to the Religious Teachers of St. Lucy Filippini, the sisters in the convent at St. Thomas Church. Carmel demonstrated her love of God through many ministries she was involved in. She served as a lector, a Eucharistic minister, a parish trustee, a religious education instructor and brought the Eucharist to the homebound. In addition, she was chairwoman of the St. Thomas School Board and a member of the St. Thomas Church Ladies Guild. In recognition of her extraordinary volunteer work, Carmel was chosen by St. Thomas Church as one of the recipients of the 2004 St. Joseph Medal of Appreciation from the Archdiocese of Hartford.

For many years, Carmel was an associate in the Dominican Sisters of Peace and often made pilgrimages to the Dominican motherhouse in Columbus, Ohio. After experiencing the death of her mother, Carmel became a facilitator for the New Day Bereavement Program in the Archdiocese of Hartford. In the program, she guided many people through the process of losing a loved one in St. Thomas Church, Mary Our Queen Church in Plantsville and St. Anthony Church in Prospect.

Carmel organized and facilitated the annual townwide memorial service for Dellavecchia Funeral Home. A library of bereavement books donated by Carmel will be set up in her memory at the funeral home.

Carmel enjoyed spending time with her friends and often showed her appreciation for them by taking them out to eat, bringing them to see performances at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam and driving them to spend the day at a casino. She was known for her generosity, doing things such as delivering hundreds of pastries to family and friends on the feast day of St. Joseph each March.

Carmel is survived by her nephews and nieces, Lawrence Avitabile of Southington, Louis Avitabile of Southington, Mary Waring of Florida, Claudia Licursi of Plantsville, Karen Avitabile of Plantsville and Louis Avitabile Jr. of Southington; a sister-in-law, Barbara Avitabile of Southington; and several great-nieces and great-nephews. She was predeceased by her brothers, Joseph J. and Louis A. Avitabile, and two nephews, Joseph Jr. and David Avitabile.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Fri., Aug. 13, 11 a.m., at St. Thomas Church, 99 Bristol St., Southington. Interment will follow at St. Thomas Cemetery. Calling hours will precede the Mass on Friday, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., at Dellavecchia Funeral Home, 211 North Main St., Southington. It is recommended that masks be worn in the funeral home and in St. Thomas Church. For online condolences, visit www.dellavecchiasouthington.com. Contributions in Carmel’s memory may be made to: Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, 134 Farmington Ave., Hartford, CT 06105; or Southington Bread for Life, 31 Vermont Ave., Southington, CT 06489

Her funeral Mass will be Tribucast and can be attended remotely via link: https://client.tribucast.cm/ tcid/1556226091

Please sign guestbook at courant.com/obituaries