Carmela T. Gregory Donato, beloved wife of Ralph P. Donato, passed away peacefully on April 26, 2025 at the age of 97.  Carmela was the daughter of Rose Nicolais Gregory and Ernest Gregory and grew up with her sister (Rosemary Cali) and her three brothers James (Chocky), John (Bucky), and Ernest on East Pine Street in Dunmore, Pa.  She was a member of SS. Anthony and Rocco Parish in Dunmore.  She was a graduate of Dunmore High School’s class of 1945 and stayed connected with her classmates through letters and visits.  She worked diligently and tirelessly for 75 years at her family’s dry-cleaning business, Spotless Cleaners, in a variety of capacities.  She began her career checking in clothes for dry cleaning after school. Over time learned tailoring from the master Italian tailors who worked in the tailor shop.  Ultimately, she became the only seamstress at the company until she retired at age 90 years; when the business was sold.  She loved her days working in “the plant” and “the tailor shop”, rarely taking more than one week vacation, since her sense of duty and responsibility to help others was stronger than her need to relax.  She totally enjoyed being around her uncles, cousins, friends and neighbors who worked alongside her to get the job done to perfection.  Taking clothes home to finish them on time and properly was common.

Carm was a loving partner and best friend to her husband Ralph who passed in July 1996..  They enjoyed walking to work, dancing to Big Band music, driving to visit family or seeing new sights, preparing for holidays with favorite foods, and just being together.  She was also a beloved mom to daughter Karen and husband John McGrath, and son Ralph and wife Mary Ellen (who passed in 2018) and now his partner Margo Amory.  She loved her role as grandmother/Nonie to Ralph (and wife Jessie) and Christopher Donato (and fiancé Morgan), and her great grandson Brayden. Also surviving are sisters-in-law, Carmella Gregory and Johanna Gregory.

Carm enjoyed baking “goodies”, cakes, pies, and especially Christmas cookies, sharing them with family and friends.  She could knit, crochet, turn crewel needlework into pillows, pictures, and ornaments, talents she acknowledged came from her mom and grandmother, Rosa Nicolais.  Carm was the family historian remembering names, addresses, birthdays of family and friends as well as her Pine St. neighbors.  She loved to share stories of the wonderful days and neighbors on Pine Street where her grandmother had the only phone in the neighborhood and would leave her front door opened so everyone on the block could use it.  Carm was especially fond of her summer days as a young girl at “the lake”, camping in a huge army tent with her family, aunt (Nantie Vitaletti), and cousins, walking to the farm for milk, and watching the aurora borealis from the grass.  The holidays were always special times for her with immediate family as well as with her many aunts and uncles, numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and great nieces and nephews.  

Members of her immediate family who preceded her in death are sister Rosemary and her husband Anthony Cali Sr., and brothers James and wife Betty Jean, John, and Ernest.

Her loving spirit-filled life bore witness to her desire to bring joy to others, through her letters, her visits, her cards and her phone calls to long-lost friends who were never really lost. She filled her home with laughter, light, and beautiful memories. Her sense of humor, witty ways, compassion, and love of life and family will be dearly missed.

Family and friends may call Sunday, May 4, from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. in the Carlucci-Golden-DeSantis Funeral Home, Inc., 318 E. Drinker St., Dunmore, 18512.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, May 5, at 11:00 a.m. in St. Anthony of Padua Church, 303 Smith St., Dunmore, 18512. 

Interment immediately following at Dunmore Cemetery, 400 Church St., Dunmore.

Memorial contributions may be sent to St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, 500 Penn Ave, Scranton, PA 18509 (570) 342-5556 and SS Anthony and Rocco Parish, 303 Smith Street, Dunmore PA 18512.