Yvonne DeSimone

Yvonne DeSimone passed away on December 12, 2017, in Sarasota, Florida, leaving a spectacular legacy of love, generosity and kindness. Yvonne was born December 28, 1941, in Middletown, New York, to Christina Teresa Dino and Caesar Anthony DeSimone. She is survived by her children, Lee DeLieto, Jr.; Douglas DeLieto; and Carolyn DeLieto; her daughter-in-law Valarie DeLieto; her sister Christine Paulson; her nephew Scott Gregory; her ex-husband and friend Lee DeLieto, Sr.; and an extended family of loving cousins and their children. Yvonne spent her final days surrounded by family, under the tireless care of the wonderful medical staff at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Yvonne was an active participant in her adopted communities of Wilton, Connecticut; Boca Raton, Florida; and Sarasota, and she remained deeply involved in her hometown of Middletown, returning in the early 2000s to contribute to its revitalization and raise support for her beloved Middletown High School and Orange County Community College. She took a position at the YMCA of Middletown, often representing the Y at community events, something she enjoyed immensely as a native daughter of Middletown. In Wilton and Boca Raton, Yvonne was deeply involved in her children's education, volunteering in various capacities, with her greatest involvement at Saint Andrews School in Boca Raton. Later, she held various economic development positions, rising to a vice president at the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County. In Sarasota, Yvonne became involved in a variety of organizations, participating as best she could while her health allowed. Yvonne was a committed patron of the arts and instilled in her children a lifelong love for the performing arts. She founded the Caldwell Children's Theater, in Boca Raton, and was involved with the professional theater, the Caldwell Theater, in Boca Raton, through its founding and early years. Later, she served in various marketing and development positions at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach and at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, in Bethel, NY. Yvonne was also an avid music lover and a graduate of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. Always a concerned citizen of her communities, Yvonne raised money for dancing band uniforms for Middletown High School, she donated furniture and clothing to hurricane victims in Florida, she sponsored prizes at Middletown's annual Ruthie Dino-Marshall 5K run/walk, she randomly paid for groceries for families in line behind her, and she once covered the expense of an animal's surgery, having overheard the veterinarian tell an anonymous pet owner that a family pet couldn't be released in time for Christmas without payment in full. Yvonne ultimately succumbed to her heart, but her heart was immense, and there were few just causes she could ignore. There will be a visitation for Yvonne at Toale Brothers Funeral Home at 6pm – 8pm on Tuesday December 19th, at 40 North Orange Avenue, in Sarasota. On Wednesday, December 20th, there will be a celebration of life at 1:30pm at Saint Martha's Catholic Church at 200 North Orange Avenue, in Sarasota, followed by a burial at Palms-Robarts Funeral Home at 3pm, at 170 Honore Avenue, Sarasota. After the burial, the family will host a reception for friends and family at Salute Restaurant, at 23 North Lemon Avenue, in Sarasota. Yvonne twice beat cancer – surviving Hodgins Disease in the 1970's and surviving breast cancer earlier this summer under the loving care of Florida Cancer Specialists. The family requests that any donations be made in her name to the American Cancer Society.

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Yvonne DeSimone

December 28, 1941 - December 12, 2017