Antaya, Donna Jean (Grillo)
Donna Jean (Grillo) Antaya, 73, of South Windsor, beloved wife of Donald, Mom, Auntie and Nonna, passed away peacefully in the early morning of October 20 at her home, following a challenging journey with Lewy body dementia. Donna was the second of four children of the late Lucian and Dorothy (Tardette) Grillo, sister to Dr. Robert Grillo (wife Bernadette) of South Windsor, Karen Farina (husband Anthony) of South Windsor, and the late Jack Grillo. Donna grew up in Hartford, attending South Catholic High School. Before graduating in 1967, she met Donald, and they created a bond that would last for the next 55 years, marrying in 1970. After high school, she held several jobs including court stenographer, banquet manager at the family restaurant Lucian's, reservationist at American Airlines and volunteer at various non-profit organizations. Along with her husband, Donna is survived by two sons, Kevin (wife Tina Rideout) of Middletown and Keith (wife Kathy) of East Granby and four grandchildren, Dory, Devon, Julie and Jack, as well as many other cousins, nieces, and nephews, all of whom she loved so dearly. Outside of her family and friends, Donna had interests that ranged the spectrum: gardening, card games, The Beatles, Yankees baseball, hockey of any level, and traveling the world, particularly that one happy island, Aruba. A special acknowledgement goes out to Donna's full-time aides, Rushell Murphy and Francesca Francis, for their patience and tender care for Donna as her health deteriorated over these past few months. The family welcomes all to stop by to pay respects and share your favorite thoughts and memories of Donna's life at Samsel & Carmon Funeral Home, 419 Buckland Rd, South Windsor on Monday, October 24th, from 4 to 7pm. Folks are welcome to gather at the funeral home on Tuesday, October 25th at 9 am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 am at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 673 Ellington Road, South Windsor. Burial will follow in Wapping Cemetery, South Windsor. Our family cherishes memories of all the wonderful meals at Donna's house. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to CT Foodshare (https://ctfoodshare.org) or a local food bank so other families can create similar memories this holiday season. To leave a condolence, please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com
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