![\"Marie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/V2AN7QKTXREXRCFN7BP7JWPUDM.JPG\")
Marie is pictured with her husband, Joseph Delsante, on their wedding day. (Courtesy of the Delsante family)<\/p>\nSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Marie Delsante\u2019s life was measured not in years, but in the family she nurtured, the traditions she preserved, and the love she gave freely. <\/p>\n
A devoted family woman and the matriarch of a large, loving family, Marie died on Jan. 8, at her Staten Island home of more than 60 years in Dongan Hills. She was 99. <\/p>\n
Born on Dec. 7, 1926, on Manhattan\u2019s Lower East Side, Marie was the daughter of Antonina and Antonio DeGaetano, Italian immigrants who raised their children within a close-knit community. She was one of eight children, growing up alongside six brothers \u2014 John, Salvatore, Frank, Joseph, Vincent and Peter \u2014 and one sister, Angelina.<\/p>\n
Her early years, however, were marked by hardship as well as love. <\/p>\n
When Marie was an infant, her mother was diagnosed with tuberculosis and sent to a Staten Island sanitarium. During that time, the children were separated; some were placed in care facilities, while Marie lived in foster care. She was reunited with her family at about 5 years old after her mother recovered, an experience that left a lasting imprint on her life and instilled in her a lifelong devotion to family. <\/p>\n
Marie is pictured with her husband, Joseph Delsante, on their wedding day. (Courtesy of the Delsante family)<\/p>\n
Marie\u2019s understanding of sacrifice and duty was also shaped by the era in which she came of age. She lived through the Great Depression, learning perseverance and gratitude \u2014 lessons she carried with her throughout her life. She often spoke of turning 15 on the day of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, an event that deeply affected her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer brother John was in the Navy and stationed overseas,\u201d said her daughter, Valarie Delsante. \u201cHe didn\u2019t die at Pearl Harbor, but he died shortly after. That was always on her mind, especially knowing most of her brothers were in the military at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also witnessed defining moments in American history, including the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the moon landing, astonished by how much the world had changed since her childhood.<\/p>\n
Marriage and family life<\/p>\n
Before marriage, Marie worked as a floor manager in a factory. In February 1952, she married Joseph Delsante, a close friend of her brother Joseph. The couple moved from Manhattan to Port Richmond, then to the Todt Hill housing complex, before settling permanently in Dongan Hills.<\/p>\n
Together, they raised five children: Dominick, Valarie, Christopher, Joseph and Lisa, in a home filled with love and laughter. <\/p>\n
While raising her family, Marie continued working part-time to support the household. In the mid-1960s, she and her husband owned and operated Debbie Lynn\u2019s, a family restaurant in Stapleton, which they ran for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom would open the restaurant, my dad \u2014 who was a policeman \u2014 would come after work, and she\u2019d go home to feed the kids,\u201d shared Valarie. \u201cHe\u2019d stay for the dinner hour and close it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to the restaurant, Marie worked in sales for different companies, including Avon and a home d\u00e9cor party business, often traveling throughout Staten Island, Brooklyn and Manhattan.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe always had little jobs on the side,\u201d added Valarie. \u201cShe wanted all five of us to go to Catholic school, so she worked to supplement my dad\u2019s income.\u201d <\/p>\n
Marie continued to balance work and motherhood, and together, she and her husband created a household defined by hard work and warmth until Joseph\u2019s passing in November 2017.<\/p>\n
A life of creativity<\/p>\n
Beyond her role as a mother, Marie was a woman of varied interests and creativity. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor somebody with only a high school education, she was amazing,\u201d recalled Valarie. \u201cShe read constantly and loved history \u2014 especially Egyptian history, ancient Rome and ancient Greece.\u201d<\/p>\n
A gifted artist, Marie worked primarily with acrylics, painting portraits of her children and landscapes inspired by family travels. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever we traveled, she painted the places we went,\u201d said Valarie. \u201cShe even did an incredible self-portrait.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Marie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/5HYQHVQOWZGXRFK3LEPZIYC3VQ.JPG\")
Marie’s self-portrait is seen here. (Courtesy of the Delsante family)<\/p>\n
She expressed her creativity through many forms, including crewel embroidery, crocheting, sewing and pressed-flower art. A self-described fashion enthusiast, Marie often made her daughter\u2019s clothing. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe even had matching mother-daughter outfits for awhile,\u201d Valarie recalled.<\/p>\n
An avid gardener, Marie tended both vegetables and flowers, and she loved music and dancing. In her later years, she developed a fondness for singing along to artists such as Frank Sinatra, Engelbert Humperdinck and Andrea Bocelli.<\/p>\n
Holidays held a special place in Marie\u2019s heart. She was happiest when cooking, preparing meals days in advance that would bring generations together \u2014 a tradition that is now carried on by her daughters. <\/p>\n
A devotion to family <\/p>\n
At the center of Marie\u2019s life was an unwavering devotion to children and family. Being a mother defined her, and she embraced the role with both tenderness and strength.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m 70, so I have 70 years worth of memories with her,\u201d said Valarie. \u201cBut when I was in high school, I used to work with her. I\u2019d go with her to her home d\u00e9cor sales parties, help carry the boxes, sit there doing my homework, and then we\u2019d pack up and go home together.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to raising her own five children, Marie opened her home to nieces and nephews during extended periods when if their mother became ill, offering stability, care and unconditional love. Her home was a place where children were always safe, fed and cherished. <\/p>\n
![\"Marie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2GB4DY7QEBGPJFAJGZJN6P6DFM.JPG\")
Maire witnessed defining moments in American history, including the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the moon landing.(Courtesy of the Delsante family)<\/p>\n
That same sense of responsibility shaped the values she instilled in her own children, particularly the importance of education.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was adamant that her children be educated,\u201d said Valarie. \u201cThat\u2019s why she worked so hard. All five of us were some of the first in the family to go through college.\u201d <\/p>\n
Legacy <\/p>\n
The last surviving child of Antonina and Antonio DeGaetano, Marie is survived by her five children: Dominick and his wife, Pamela; Valarie; Christopher and his wife, Vilma; Joseph and his wife, Katrina; and Lisa and her husband, Joel Robbins.<\/p>\n
She was a cherished grandmother to Lauren, Christopher, Joseph, Lia, Edward, Dylan, Juliana, Natalya and Zachary, and a beloved aunt to many nieces and nephews.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Marie Delsante\u2019s life was measured not in years, but in the family she nurtured,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":124347,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-124346","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-staten-island","12":"tag-staten-island-headlines","13":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}