Obituary: Defelice, Yolanda E.
Age 91
The cause of death was heart failure.
Mrs. DeFelice was born in Spokane, Washington, on March 19, 1923, the fourth child of Sebastiano (“Sam”) and Giovanna (“Jenny”) Giampietri.
Mrs. DeFelice attended Edison Grammar School, Libby Junior High School and Marycliff High School.
On September 28, 1940, the former Yolanda E. Giampietri married Joseph A. DeFelice in a ceremony at St. Ann’s Church.
Sixteen years later, in 1956, they moved into their newly constructed home at E. 9220 Cataldo in Spokane, where they lived for fifty years.
In early 2006, Mr. and Mrs. DeFelice moved into Orchard Crest Retirement Community on Evergreen in the Spokane Valley.
Mr. DeFelice died shortly thereafter, on April 4, 2006.
Joe and Yolanda had lived almost sixty-six years of married life as a devoted couple.
After her husband’s death, Mrs. DeFelice remained at Orchard Crest and made many new friends there.
In December of 2012, Mrs. DeFelice contracted a very painful spinal infection which caused her to be bedridden for five months.
In order to obtain better medical care, on April 1, 2013, she moved to a nursing home in Laguna Hills, California.
She fought hard to overcome her difficulties, and by the end of May, she was able to walk again with assistance.
Until she was felled by her recent illnesses, Mrs. DeFelice lived life with immense energy and enthusiasm.
She was always the center of gravity for her family, both immediate and extended.
It was she who planned the holiday get-togethers, the parties and the celebrations, the card games and the dinner menus.
And she always made sure that everyone was included and that no one felt left out or the least slighted.
A wonderful cook and a superb baker, she tried to make sure each person’s favorite dish or dessert made it to the table before the end of a holiday weekend.
A traditional wife, Mrs. DeFelice could be reserved at home.
But, without drawing attention to herself, she quietly determined the outcome of all the major family issues.
These ranged from vacation destinations to interior dĂŠcor to the education of her children.
Mrs. DeFelice sent a greeting card to each of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren on every holiday and every birthday.
For a while, the cards included a two-dollar bill, but when those became scarce, she moved up to five-dollar bills.
The cards would bring a childlike joy to otherwise jaded thirty-somethings, who kept the cards and gave the money to their own children.
Mrs. DeFelice is survived by her three children, Ronald (Victoria) DeFelice, Irvine California, Dennis (Ann Marie) DeFelice, Rancho Cordova, California, and Susan (Michael) Dolan, Spokane.
She is also survived by her sister Darlene (Larry) Koehler, Spokane; and eight grandchildren, Christina (Malcolm) Welford, Irvine, California, Gregory (Taylor) DeFelice, New York, New York, Brian Dolan, Spokane, Jenne (Paul) Hatcher, Spokane, Anthony DeFelice, Sacramento, California, Andrea DeFelice, Arlington, Virginia, and Gianna and Sofia DeFelice, Rancho Cordova, California.
Mrs. DeFelice also leaves six great-grandchildren, Devin and Sophia Dolan, Maximilian and Benjamin Welford, Riley Hatcher and Charles DeFelice.
She was preceded in death by her sisters, Esther Gerentser, Sister Loretta Giampietri, Louise Maio and her brothers Gabriel, David and Victor Giampietri.
Friends are invited to a visitation between 4:00p.m and 8:00p.m.
with the Rosary Service at 5:00p.m.
on Friday, September 12, 2014 at Hennessey Valley Funeral Home, 1315 N. Pines Rd.
Spokane Valley, WA.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00am on Saturday, September 13, 2014, at St. Mary Catholic Church, 304 S. Adams Rd.
Spokane Valley, WA.
Entombment will be at 3:00p.m., at Holy Cross Mausoleum Chapel, 7200 N. Wall Street, Spokane.
The family requests that memorial contributions be made to Morning Star Boys’ Ranch, PO Box 8087, Spokane, WA 99203.
Please visit Yolanda’s online memorial at www.hennesseyfuneralhomes.com and leave an online guestbook message for the family.