Dorothy Ann Parente (Formato), 85, wife of the late Robert J. Parente, passed away Sunday, July 19, 2015 in Lexington, MA, after a long battle with both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Loving mother of the late Roberta Anne Parente, and survived by daughters Lisa Parente and her husband Dr. Marc Dummit of Concord, MA, and Suzanne Spada and her husband Paolo Spada of Westport, CT. Adoring grandmother of Isabelle Spada, Alexander Spada, Drew Dummit, and Devin Dummit. Sister of Joseph Formato and his wife Elaine Formato of Madison, CT, Anne Amore of Pittsford, NY, and her late husband James Amore; and Connie Civitello and her husband Louis Civitello of Naples, FL. Sister-in-law of Eleanor DeAngelo of Cheshire, CT, and brother-in-law Anthony Parente and his wife Ruth Parente of Middletown, CT. Aunt of many loving nieces and nephews. Dorothy was born May 20, 1930, a daughter of the late Joseph and Florence Formato (Cavalier) in New Haven, CT. She and her late husband were longtime residents of Stamford, and Clinton, CT. Dorothy was a graduate of Southern Connecticut Teacher's College, and worked as an elementary school teacher in Milford, CT, prior to staying home to raise her daughters. She was a prolific poet and essayist, who loved flowers and nature, the sunlight and the rain, and being near the ocean. She was passionate about the arts and music. She was a lifelong best friend to many. She, her husband, and two daughters lived in France for five years in the 70s, where she enjoyed traveling and visiting numerous museums and galleries throughout Europe. Funeral from BEECHER & BENNETT, 2300 WHITNEY AVE. HAMDEN, Thursday July 23, at 9:30 AM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Barnabas Church, 44 Washington Avenue, North Haven at 10 AM. Her family will receive friends Thursday morning at the funeral home prior to the mass from 8:30- 9:30. Interment in All Saints Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association www.alz.org, or St. Jude's Research Hospital for childhood cancers, www.stjude.org