NIAGARA FALLS — Dolores Catanzaro, 78 years old, affectionately nicknamed "Dede", passed away on February 26, 2019 at her home under the loving care of her husband, Niagara Hospice, and the Our Lady of Peace community.  She was born on February 28, 1941 in Niagara Falls, the daughter of the late John and Adele (Sliwoski) Jaroszeski.

Dolores was a graduate of the former LaSalle Senior High School, located on Military Road.  She was an owner of the Envoy Motor Inn and Pepies Plum supper club, both in downtown Niagara Falls; as well as working as a hostess in the supper club and chambermaid at the Inn.  She had a caring and good natured personality, and a certain laugh.  Also, she enjoyed cooking and baking for her family and friends during the holidays, raising and caring for her pet Pomeranians and Shih Tzu's, flying seaplanes with her husband, traveling with her family, reading, fishing, playing bingo, and other hobbies.  Her family and friends are at a loss, and they will miss her very much.

Dolores is survived by her husband, of 55 years, Thomas J. Catanzaro Sr.; and her sons Thomas J. Catanzaro Jr. of Wilson and Nicholas J. Catanzaro and his wife Michelle (Schrader) of Niagara Falls and their son Nicholas and Kelly (Freudenberger) Catanzaro.  Also, she is survived by her sister Dorothy (Jaroszeski) and Jim Sargeant of Lewiston and her children Jeff, Cathy, and Maureen; and her brother-in-law Vincent Catanzaro of Niagara Falls and his daughter Veronica; and her nieces and nephews Lisa, Joseph, Jimmy, and John Leone; and Leonard and David Palumbo.  In addition, she is predeceased by her son Joseph A. Catanzaro; and her in-laws Leonard and Janette (Catanzaro) Palumbo, and Joseph and Rosalie (Catanzaro) Leone.

She will be with us forever.  Visitation, for family, friends and neighbors, will be held on Sunday, March 3rd from 2 - 6 PM at the M.J. COLUCCI & SON NIAGARA FUNERAL CHAPEL, 2730 Military Road, Niagara Falls, NY 14304 where prayers will be held on Monday, March 4th at 11:15 AM followed by  Dolores' Mass of Christian Burial at 12 noon at St. Mary of the Cataract R.C. Parish, 259 4th St, Niagara Falls, NY.  Interment will follow in St. Joseph's Cemetery.  Visit www.mjcoluccifuneralchapel.com for online condolences.

Eulogy

We are gathered here today in the memory of my mother, Dolores Catanzaro.  So that we may remember both the joy that her life gave to us and the pain that her passing brings us.

Childhood. My mother grew up on East Falls St. in a small apartment with her parents and sister.  During all of this time she and her sister, shared the same bed.  Each night they used to take turns telling bedtime stories to each other.  So that, they would get drowsy and fall asleep easier.

After my mother graduated from high school, she met my father.  After this she moved out of her parent's home, where she still shared a bed with her sister, and moved into a small apartment in Niagara Falls with my father.  Where they would begin living the rest of their lives together.

Personality. One of the parts of my mother's personality was she liked unique entertainment.  She liked murder mysteries, like Murder She Wrote.  She liked playing Trivial Pursuit and solving cross-word puzzles.  She liked having knick-knacks and artistic furniture.  She liked eating red pistachios and then having red finger tips.  She liked things with unique, but odd, names like Orville Redenbacher popcorn.  I think she liked entertaining things like this and I think this was an important part of her personality.  And, I think many of us liked this part of her personality.

Family. One of the most important things in Mother's life was her family.  When she raised my brothers and me, I can remember that she always seemed to be both knowledgeable and flexible, and never said more words than needed, despite probably wanting to give much advise.  And, she did this while maintaining a household and having many hobbies and interests.  Such as enjoying entertainment, reading, raising pets, and being seasonally employed.  I think her raising my brothers and me for so many years, while having many hobbies and interests, showed she was both a dedicated mother and an interesting person.

Admirable accomplishment. One of the most admirable things that my mother did was how she conducted herself during her illness.  She had Alzheimer's and back pain for many years; and, she suffered the loss for her youngest son during this time.  Surprisingly, she faced her illness calmly and appeared to make progress.  But, the side effects of the illness resulted in eating difficulties and a fatal respiratory problem.

Yet, during her long battle with Alzheimer's she maintained the ability to speak intelligently.  For example, during the later stage of her illness she sang "banana-nana" at a dinner table in a nursing home in the early part of 2018, and said "your sleeping" to me when I dozed off at her dining room table in the middle part of 2018.  I think her facing her illness calmly and maintaining the ability to speak intelligently, especially during the later stage her illness, showed she had a lot of perseverance and intelligence.

Summary. Finally, I think my mother was blessed to have a good life and all of us were blessed to have the joy that she brought into our lives.  She had an interesting childhood and early adult life.  She met my father, had three sons, and raised them, while being both knowledgeable and flexible.  She liked unique entertainment and this was part of her personality.  And, she maintained the ability to speak intelligently and had a calm manner during her long battle with Alzheimer's.  I hope we remember the joy that she gave to all of us and I hope that she has found a way to be with our Lord.