Constance Leo Felicetti, 82, of Hockessin, died Sunday, March 15, at Cokesbury Village in Hockessin. She was the wife of the late Frank Felicetti, with whom she shared 59 years of marriage. Born in West Chester, she was the daughter of the late Vincent Leo and the late Claire (Shea) Leo.
Connie grew up in Kennett Square and graduated magna cum laude from Immaculata College with a bachelor’s degree and from Georgetown University with a master’s in biology. While at Georgetown, she met her husband, Frank Felicetti, who was studying to become a lawyer, and the two of them married upon finishing school. Connie and Frank had two sons, Matthew and Stephen, and she was a devoted mother to both throughout her life.
Over the years, Connie worked in many professions; in her younger years she was a professional job placement specialist for Placers, originally in the data processing and pulp and paper industries before switching to Easter Seals as a job coach, assisting people with physical disabilities and mental illness in finding suitable employment in the community – a very rewarding and fulfilling job that was near and dear to her heart.
From 1992 to 2002, Frank and Connie became the owners and innkeepers of a historic bed and breakfast in Cape May, N.J., known as the John F. Craig house. While Frank was the primary chef, Connie handled many of the other details of the business, including offering her open heart and listening ears to the many people who came through their doors. She was known to say that her degree in Pastoral Counseling, which she received later in life, was the perfect training for her job as an innkeeper.
Connie was extremely generous with her time and gave of herself in many ways over the years: when her boys were young, she was very active with the youth group at St. Patrick’s Church. She also volunteered with “NAMI”, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and with the Cape May Stage Theater in Cape May, N.J., where she was a fundraiser and instrumental in the renovation and rejuvenation of the theater. Connie was also a Eucharistic Minister for many, many years and delivered communion to those who were homebound and unable to attend church.
A member of St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington, DE, Connie was a decades-long member of the Daughters of St. Francis de Sales with whom she attended many retreats and developed many wonderful friendships. She will be remembered for being a devoted mother and a joyful, loving person who was dedicated to so many people throughout adversity while demonstrating her inexhaustible faith in God.
Constance is survived by her son, Stephen Felicetti; her sisters, Fran Leo-Holmes (Tom) and Judy Bonifacino; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family. Besides her husband and her parents, she was predeceased by her beloved son, Matthew Felicetti, and by her and Frank’s cats, Hekyll and Jekyll.
You are invited to visit with Connie’s family and friends from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8, at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 2503 Centerville Road, Wilmington, DE 19808. Her funeral Mass will follow at 11. Interment will be held privately.
Contributions in her memory may be made to St. Catherine of Siena Church www.scswilmde.org/donate – or checks can be mailed to St. Catherine of Siena Church 2503 Centerville Road, Wilmington, DE 19808. Please put “In memory of Connie Felicetti” on the memo line. Or, contributions can be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness at www.namidelaware.org.
The family would like to thank the staff of WillowBrooke Health Care at Cokesbury Village and Cokesbury Hospice for the excellent care that Connie received during her time there.
Arrangements are by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. (484-734-8100) of Kennett Square, PA. To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.griecofunerals.com.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
