He was born in Hartford on St. Patrick's Day on March 17, 1927 and was the son of the late Michael and Christine (Gallinoto) DiDonato.
Besides his wife of over 55 years, he is survived by his only son, Gregory DiDonato and his wife Susan (Schunk) DiDonato and their son, his grandson Bryan DiDonato. He also is survived by three brothers, Anthony DiDonato and Joseph (Yogi) DiDonato both of Hartford, and John DiDonato of Manchester, three sisters, Catherine Hamel of Norwalk, CA, Lucy Dolgoruck of Wethersfield and Stella Rzewnicki of Hartford. He was predeceased by two brothers, Thomas DiDonato of Glastonbury and Rocco DiDonato of Wethersfield, also three sisters, Minnie Granell of East Hartford, Millie Domenick of Las Vegas, NV and Concetta Steullet of Manchester.
Danny was a US Army veteran of WWII and the Korean Conflict serving five years of active duty. He also served 16 years in the Connecticut Army National Guard and retired with 21 years and achieved the highest rank of Master Sergeant. He was a member of the American Legion, VFW, 169 Infantry Veterans Corps., was a life member of the Connecticut Army National Guard Association, and the Connecticut Army National Guard Retirees of Florida. Danny had also a member of the US. Constabulary serving in Germany in 1946.
He had also been a charter member of the "Gang from the Corner", which are retired men from the old neighborhood that had met in the past on every Thursday at the food court at the Manchester Mall for breakfast. He was instrumental in establishing a Friday morning breakfast at the Oasis Restaurantin Forestville where many retired military members get together and swap stories. He will be sorely missed from all these activities. He will be remembered for his kindness, generosity, knowledge of current and past events, basic trivia, especially movies and sports, also his quick wit of jokes and story telling. He was also a member of the Southington Gridiron Club for many years. His real pride and joy was coaching Little League Baseball with his son Gregory, at the Northern Little League in Southington, instructing boys and girls in the fundamentals of hitting, fielding and pitching. He enjoyed the results many times over.
The Memorial Mass will be held Thursday 10:30 a.m. at St. Thomas Church, 99 Bristol St., with Military Honors. Burial will be at the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown at the convenience of the family. Calling hours will be Monday 5-8 p.m. at the DellaVecchia Funeral Home, 211 N. Main St. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his memory to the SNBL Bator Scholarship Fund, PO Box 125, Southington, CT 06489. www.dellavecchiafh.com
Visitation
Date
Time
April 24, 2006
5-8 p.m.
Visitation Location
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