Obituary of Roseanne A. Di Fate

Roseanne A. Di Fate entered into rest Sunday, March 30, 2014 at Albany Medical Center. She was 68. Daughter of Nancy Arrichiello Panaro and the late Joseph Panaro, she was born August 19, 1945 in Mount Vernon. She married the love of her life, Vincent Di Fate on March 10, 1968 at St. Mary's Church in Mount Vernon; Mr. Di Fate survives at home in Wappingers Falls. Mrs. Di Fate received her Undergraduate degree from Hunter College and her Graduate Degree in Childhood Education from Lehman College. She taught in the Mount Vernon School District until her first child was born. After taking time to raise her two sons, she took a position as head teacher for Community Nursery School of Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church. Roseanne finished her career as a teacher for Wimpfheimer Nursery School at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, until she reluctantly retired in 2010 due to illness. In her spare time, she enjoyed movies, music and the arts. She had a passion for talking politics. When her illness kept her home, she had recently developed a love of crossword puzzles. Roseanne had a group of lovely people she met through her cardiac rehabilitation that she enjoyed spending time with. Mostly, she dedicated her life to children, her own and those she worked with. She was simply a natural with little ones and loved the time she got to spend with them. In addition to her husband, Vincent and her mother, Nancy, she is survived by her sons, Christopher Di Fate of New York City, and Victor Di Fate and his wife, Erin of Mobile, AL; brothers, Nicholas Panaro and his wife, Lisa of Ossining, and Peter Panaro and his wife, Susan of Yonkers; twin grandchildren, Zola and Xavier; and several nieces and nephews. Family will receive friends on Wednesday, April 2 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Straub, Catalano & Halvey Funeral Home, 55 East Main Street, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 3 at St. Mary's Church, 11 Clinton Street in Wappingers Falls. Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Poughkeepsie. Memorial donations may be made in Roseanne's name to American Heart Association, 301 Manchester Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603, www.heart.org or American Cancer Society, 2678 South Rd # 103, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, www.cancer.org. For directions or to send a personal condolence, please visit our website at www.StraubCatalanoHalvey.com.