Obituary of Clarice DeSantis

Clarice Ruth DeSantis, 88, formerly of Memory Garden and Dunn Ave Jamestown, died at 5:30 a.m. Thursday (November 10, 2011) in the Heritage Park Rehab and Skilled Nursing Facility. She was born March 11, 1923 in Jamestown the daughter of the late Clarence and Ruth Nelson. Clarice attended Jamestown, Falconer, and Lakewood Schools. Following high school, she was employed as assistant manager at the former BiCo Ice Cream and Dairy where she met her future husband Patsy DeSantis, and their lifelong friends, the "East Side Gang". After her marriage to Patsy, she took pride in staying at home to care for her home and family. She was involved in the East Jamestown and Ring School PTA, Home Bureau, and served as an Election Inspector for many years. Clarice was a communicant of Holy Apostles Parish, St. John Catholic Church where she was dedicated to any work project. She worked at St. Joseph's Table and St. John's annual Italian Festival, developing the recipe for the "gardunes". She enjoyed crafts, crocheting, quilting, embroidery, and her flower garden. In later years, Clarice and Patsy enjoyed traveling, visiting Italy, the Holy Land, and bus trips to Atlantic City and Niagara Falls. She also enjoyed spending time with her friends at the East Side Fellowship Club; going out to eat following mass with the Sunday morning breakfast group; and meeting with her cousins for "cousins club". Surviving are two daughters, Suzanne R. (Jim) Boland of Lakewood; Patricia (Steven) Babbage of Concord, NC; two grandsons, Christopher Babbage of Jamestown; Andrew Babbage of Manchester, England; a sister, Viola (Edward) Nelson of Lakewood; a brother, Gene (Sarah) Nelson of Lakewood; a sister in law, Patricia "Twig" Nelson of Port Charlotte, FL; and several nieces and nephews. Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Patsy L. DeSantis whom she married May 22, 1948 and who died March 18, 2009; and a brother, Kenneth Nelson. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday at Holy Apostles Parish, St. John Catholic Church. The Rev. Dennis W. Mende, pastor, will be celebrant. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday in the Lind Funeral Home where a Christian Wake Service will be led at 3:45 p.m. Friday. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice Chautauqua County, 20 West Fairmount Ave. Lakewood, NY 14750; or to a charity of choice.