NJ, the youngest of three children of Louis and Florence Spinelli, both of
whom predeceased him. He was also predeceased by his sister, Joan Cappetta.
During his teenage years, he suffered from lupus disease and overcame many
subsequent medical crises with courage and good humor. At age 16, he was
remembered by the founder of the New Jersey Lupus Foundation as her
inspiration with his encouragement, grace and presence of mind.
His medical difficulties never dissuaded him from living life with joy, and he
married his teenage sweetheart Pamela on June 30, 1979. Not having their own children, they “adopted" their 25 nieces and nephews and were a joyful presence in each of those lives.
One staple in Donald and Pam's schedule was the annual
4th of July family reunion, in which multiple generations of family members
converged on their home for over 30 years of holiday weekends.
Donald practiced general dentistry in Hawthorne on Diamond Bridge Avenue
and Lafayette Avenue for 27 years, then worked for Affordable Dentures for
another ten years. He was active in civic affairs in Hawthorne, being president
of the Chamber of Commerce in 1995. In his spare time, he was an avid boater
and boat builder, making friends in each of his endeavors.
Donald is survived by his wife of forty-one years, Pamela, his brother Louis and wife Linda, his
sisters-in-laws Regina Campbell and Michele Doman and their spouses, 25
nieces and nephews, and over 83 grand-nieces and grand-nephews and their
progeny.
Cremation has been private. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 11:30am on Thursday, August 13, 2020 meeting at St. Anthony's R.C. Church, 276 Diamond Bridge Avenue, Hawthorne. Internment of ashes will follow the mass at the Laurel Grove Memorial Park, Totowa. Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Wednesday evening from 5:00pm to 8:00pm.
Memorial donations can be made to the Lupus Foundation of America, NJ Chapter, 65 East Northfield Road, Unit D, Livingston, NJ 07039.
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