Late Rockville Centre resident made impact on community

Whether it was her many duties at St. Agnes Cathedral, serving on the board of directors at the Rosa Lee Young Childhood Center or her countless other roles, Dolores DeVito took pride in helping her community.

DeVito died on March 15 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 78.

She was born in Brooklyn on May 25, 1943, to Angelina (Feminelli) and Michael DeVito. She and her sister, Justine, grew up there, and DeVito was a top student at St. Augustine’s Grammar School, and served as a pianist and church organist, before moving onto Bishop McDonnell Memorial High School, where she played the French horn in the orchestra.

“She went to Catholic high school and faith was always a big part of her life,” DeVito’s sister Justine DeVito Tenney recalled. “Faith was a big thing for her.”

After high school, DeVito became one of the first women to study in the College of Business Administration at St. John’s University, where she was elected president of the Student Council. She went on to work for one of the world’s biggest accounting firms, Deloitte, and though she was unable to initially become an auditor because women were not eligible for that role, she was selected to learn programming and became a systems analyst. She then worked her way up, becoming a director at the firm, serving clients across the country and around the world, making her a trailblazer in the process. For years, she flew out to various destinations on Monday mornings and returned home on Fridays.

“She died when she was 75, and for those of us who aren’t from that generation, it’s really hard to imagine that just because she was a woman, she couldn’t have that job,” said DeVito’s niece, Amy Tenney Curren. “She retired 20 years ago from a fantastic, global career in accounting.”

Upon moving to Rockville Centre in 1994, DeVito began volunteering at St. Agnes, where she was an active parishioner for nearly three decades. She served as head usher, on the Liturgy Committee and took part in Bible study and a prayer group. Her passion also extended to her service on the board of directors of the village’s Rosa Lee Young Childhood Center. There she helped children, her fellow board members and staff members.

Having studied baking at the New York Institute of Technology, her cookies became legendary, her sister said.

“She made probably 25 different varieties, but her chocolate chip and double chocolate chip were everybody’s favorites,” DeVito Tenney said. “She baked for everything. She had a little business where she made cookies that you could give out as favors.”

In addition to her musical talent and baking skills, DeVito was a big Rolling Stones fan, had season tickets to the New York Philharmonic, was passionate about photography and enjoyed travelling for work and in her leisure time, including to Africa, Hawaii, Italy, Germany, Norway, Cuba, Spain and Portugal. Her sister joked that she “liked to be a little outrageous about things,” which included being known for dyed bright red hair for about two decades.

After her death, many community members approached her sister and niece to tell them how much DeVito meant to them and to share stories about her impact on the community.

“She’s an inspiration to us and somebody that is worthy of being remembered for all the good things that she did,” DeVito Tenney said.

Tenney Curren added that many of her friends lauded her aunt for being a trailblazer, and that they looked up to her for helping to pave the way for professional women in America.

DeVito was predeceased by her parents; her beloved cousin, Barbara Rotunno; and her cousin, Vincent Lucchese. In addition to her sister and niece, DeVito is survived by her brother-in-law, James; nephews Michael and Dave Curren; niece Lauren Tenney,; and the light of her eyes, her grand-nephew and grand-niece Andrew and Caroline Tenney Curren. She is also survived by many more loving cousins and a host of long-time friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to one of three organizations that were dear to DeVito. They are the St. Agnes Cathedral Outreach, the St. Agnes Cathedral Music Ministry and the Rosa Lee Young Childhood Center.

While she will be remembered for many things, her niece said, DeVito will also be fondly known for the excited spirit she exuded even at an older age.

“When we were in Havana a few years ago, people that we were meeting just couldn’t believe at the time that she was 75 years old,” Tenney Curren recounted. “She was young at heart.”