Carmella (née) Salerno Del Bene left this life peacefully with her children at her bedside on Friday, August 7, 2020, after a long illness. She was 89.

She was a resident of Fishkill, NY. Carmella was born on January 28, 1931 in Peekskill, NY to the late Frank and Jennie Salerno. The family moved when she was a child to Yonkers which she always referred to as her hometown.

Carmella was the beloved wife of 60 years to the late Gene Del Bene, loving mother of Gene, Steven (Patricia) and Lisa Vlad (John). She was also predeceased by her cherished second son, John in 2009. Carmella was the devoted grandmother and great-grandmother to Danielle and daughter Luna Kahl (Thomas), Kristen and daughter Kylie Del Bene (James Krauss) and Jennifer Del Bene, Max Del Bene and Olivia, Angela and Isabella Vlad.

She graduated in 1949 with a Regents diploma in business from the High School of Commerce in Yonkers and prior to marriage worked in the Financial District. Carmella retired after 28 years as the administrative assistant to the dean of the School of Business at Manhattan College.

Carmella’s enthusiastic spirit of faith-based volunteerism and her selfless commitment to community service was emblematic of her devotion to God, her love of country and her pride of ethnic heritage. She was a devoted parishioner of St Mary, Mother of the Church where she helped console the bereaved and gave adoration as a member of the Legion of St. Mary. She belonged to the Widow and Widowers Club of St. Kateri Church of LaGrange, NY.

Prior to moving to Fishkill, Carmella was a long-time member of St. Bartholomew’s Church in Yonkers where she was a eucharistic minister, a past president of the Rosary Altar Society and a Girl Scout troop leader. She was past president of the women’s auxiliary of both the Italian-American Club and the Italian Unity Club and a member of the Gli Amici Society and Le Amiche Lodge all in Yonkers.

Carmella lived life to her fullest whether it was coordinating parish-sponsored senior excursions, inviting family for vacation to the shore, taking occasional trips to Vegas or exploring countries abroad. Finally, if she did nothing else, ‘Ma’ loved to cook and bake for her family and friends and with her husband, devoted their lives to create a warm and secure home to raise and educate their children.

Carmella’s visitation will be held at the McHoul Funeral Home of Fishkill, Inc., 1089 Main Street Fishkill, NY from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 9 and from 4 to 7 p.m. on Monday, August 10. A Mass of Christian burial will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 11 at St. Mary, Mother of the Church, 106 Jackson Street, Fishkill, NY. Entombment will follow in the Shrine of Memories at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale. Please note: In compliance with NYS guidelines, face masks and social distancing will be required and capacity may be limited.

In lieu of flowers, remembrance donations can be made to Disabled Veterans of America (www.dav.org), St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org) or Hudson Valley Hospice (www.hvhospice.org).

For online tributes, you can visit Carmella’s Book of Memories at www.mchoulfuneralhome.com.

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