Mary “Mary D” Diamante December 10, 1923 - April 25, 2024

Mary Martha “Mary D” Diamante, aged 100, passed away peacefully on April 25, 2024 in New Haven, CT, the city of her birth. She was born the elder of twins on December 10, 1923 to Anna LaVorgna Diamante and Attilio Diamante. She grew up on Gregory Street with her twin, Irene Rose, and her brothers Robert and Arthur.

Mary graduated from the Grace Hospital Nursing School in 1945 and began what would become a 40year career as an RN. She established and ran the first Intensive Care Unit and Coronary Care Unit at Yale New Haven Hospital in 1962 and was the first to revive a patient in cardiac arrest with the brand-new crash cart.

A resident of East Haven, CT since 1957, Mary was a faithful member of the Our Lady of Pompeii community, devoted to her many friends and neighbors. She loved UConn women’s basketball (GO HUSKIES), sitting on the deck reading the New Haven Register, and baking for her friends and family. She had a knack for encouraging growth, and her orchids bloomed and rebloomed for years. At her 100th birthday party, she was asked for the key to a long and happy life, to which she replied: “Share your gifts and your privilege.”

As a member of Our Lady of Pompeii Parish, Mary taught religious education and served as a member of the Ladies Guild and lector for over 40 years. She received the Our Lady of Pompeii Christian Action Award in 1994 for her outstanding service and love of God, church, and community. In 2015, Mary received the Archdiocese of Hartford Award of Appreciation.

She was a steadfast volunteer to the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross, leading annual blood drives. Mary received the American Red Cross Grateful Appreciation B. J. Maris Award for Organization and Leadership in the Blood Services Program. An auntie to many, Mary is survived by her eight nieces and nephews and their families, 23 great-nieces and nephews, and dear friends from Yale, OLOP, and Chatham Place, all of whom carry her love and spirit in their hearts.

Her funeral procession will leave the PORTO FUNERAL HOME, 234 Foxon Rd. (Rte 80), East Haven Wednesday morning at 10:30. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in the St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish at Our Lady of Pompeii Church at 11:00. Interment will follow in Beaverdale Memorial Park, New Haven. Friends may call WEDNESDAY MORNING from 8:30-10:30. If you would like to remember Mary in a special way, in lieu of flowers, donations may be given in Mary’s name to Our Lady of Pompeii or American Red Cross Blood Drive Services.

Sign Mary’s guest book online at www.portofuneralhomes.net