Obituary of Rocco J. DiCenso

Rocco J. DiCenso passed away on April 19, just a few weeks before he and his wife, Mary, would have celebrated their 58^th wedding anniversary. Rocco was born in in Sulmona, Italy in 1935 and at 12 years old emigrated to the US with his older brother, Frank. The family eventually settled in Uniontown, PA. He attended the University of Pittsburgh, and remained a proud Panther graduate and devoted follower of the Steelers.

Rocco spent most of his career working for the State of Connecticut as Supervisor of the Metabolic Section, Department of Health Services. He literally set out all newborn babies in the Hartford area on positive footing as he performed PKU testing via a heel prick test.

Rocco was active in sports throughout his life, and he happily shared his love for sports with his 3 children and 6 grandchildren. He coached Little League baseball, introduced his sons to bowling and golf, and cheered from the sidelines at baseball, basketball, football, soccer, hockey, tennis and lacrosse games for two generations. Rocco provided unofficial press coverage of Middlebury women’s soccer and lacrosse games for his Facebook friends while his granddaughter was on the teams, chronicling their trips to multiple national championships. He and Mary attended many women’s NCAA basketball championships, and he treasured a three-generation trip to Texas with son, Steve, and grandson, Peter, to watch Northwestern and Pitt bowl games.

While they couldn’t cheer out loud, Rocco and Mary clapped loudly at many concerts and high school theater productions over the years. They also enjoyed (mostly Mary’s) wonderful food, old movies, cruises, gardening, pets, photography, Broadway shows at the Bushnell, online word games and visits from friends. They were devoted parishioners at St. Dunstan’s Church in Glastonbury since 1977.

Rocco was patient and gentle, had an uncanny ability to engage people that he met. Rocco was kind to all and always put others’ needs before his own. We are all so thankful for what he gave and he will be greatly missed by all who have been fortunate to know him.

Rocco is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Mary, and three adult children – Mary-Lynne Bohn and husband, Hans of Carlisle, MA; Stephen DiCenso and wife, Georgeanne of Glastonbury, CT; and David DiCenso and wife, Victoria of Avon, CT. Rocco has 6 grandchildren – Peter and Sara DiCenso; Max, Joshua and Abigail Bohn; and Drew DiCenso. He is also survived by sisters Lina Cantelmi of Medford, MA and Yolanda O’Lenick of South Windsor, CT, and sisters-in-law Louise Rodrique and husband, Don of Wethersfield, CT and Virginia DiCorleto of Westbrook, CT. He is predeceased by brother Frank DiCenso and his wife, Onelia, of Boston, MA.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, April 23, 2021 at 9:00 am at St. Dunstan Church, 1345 Manchester Rd., Glastonbury. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Glastonbury. Friends may call on Thursday, April 22, 2021 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury. In order to adhere to current COVID 19 mandates, masks are required and six feet of social distancing will be maintained. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 300 5th Avenue, Suite 6 Waltham, MA 02451.