Rose Mary Marinelli, age 102, of Newark, DE, died on January 6, 2025. Mary, as she was known to most, was born on October 15, 1922 in East Palmyra, NY to the late Camillo Cascini and Laura Beatrice Cascini (Mammoccio) and was raised in Fairport, NY.
During World War II, Mary and her family proudly displayed a service flag with five blue stars, for her five brothers serving in three different branches of the armed forces (a sixth brother later served during the Korean War). Mary attended the Rochester Institute of Technology as an art major.
In 1947, Mary married Frank Marinelli and raised three children, living in New York, on Long Island and in New Jersey. She and Frank traveled overseas extensively in connection with his career. They moved to Delaware in 1975.
They were active members of the Newark Country Club, where she played golf. She also enjoyed morning swims at the YWCA in Newark, and was a volunteer for many organizations, particularly for those in support of the Union Hospital in Elkton, MD, and in several political campaigns and the local office of her Congressional representative.
In her late 60s, when most persons thought about retiring, Mary decided to return to the workforce, changing a volunteer position into a paid one and spending many years working in the University of Delaware bookstore.
In their retirement years, she and Frank split their time between Delaware, South Carolina and Florida, following the weather for golf. They volunteered at numerous golf championships, including the McDonald’s Championship in Delaware and the Honda Classic Tournament in Florida. Frank, Mary’s husband of 71 years, died in 2018.
Mary is survived by daughter Barbara M. Dobson and her husband Douglas of Wilmington, NC; son Francis C. Marinelli and his wife Alesia of Katonah, NY; and son William J. Marinelli and his fiancee Patrice Penza of Hobe Sound, FL. She is also survived by two grandchildren, Kristin M. Dobson of Wilmington, NC and Brianna M. Marinelli of Wilmington, DE.
Family and friends may visit, beginning at 10:00 a.m., in the rear of the church prior to Mass; Mass of Christian Burial for Mary Marinelli will begin 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 23, 2025 at Holy Angels Catholic Church, 82 Possum Park Road, Newark, DE 19711. The committal service will be held following Mass at Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 2465 Chesapeake City Road, Bear, DE 19701. Please note that neither location will permit flowers to be displayed. If desired, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made payable to “ChristianaCare Cecil County” for the ChristianaCare Union Hospital or to “ChristianaCare” and identified as being for The Helen F. Graham Cancer Center. Please send in care of R.T. Foard & Jones Funeral Home, 122 West Main Street, Newark, DE 19711. To send online condolences, please visit www.rtfoard.com.