Raye A. VanDerMaelen, 98, of Hamden, loving wife of the late Arthur VanDerMaelen, passed away on November 27, 2024, at the St. Raphael Campus of Yale New Haven Hospital. She was born in New Haven on June 15, 1926, a daughter of the late John and Mary Abanante Menna. Raye is survived by her daughters Linda Iazzetta, Sandi Perez and her husband Frank, her son Dominick Prodoti and his wife Marsha, her brother Joseph Menna, 4 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren. Besides her husband Arthur, she was predeceased by her brother John Menna, and son-in-law Anthony Iazzetta. Raye enjoyed going to all the great grandkids' parties. She was an avid reader and a lover of animals.
Friends may attend her Mass of Christian Burial on March 8, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Michael Church, 29 Wooster Place, New Haven. Burial will follow in St. Lawrence Cemetery, West Haven. Arrangements are in care of Beecher & Bennett Funeral Home, 2300 Whitney Ave, Hamden, CT. In lieu of flowers, a donation in Raye's name may be made to St Jude's Children's Research Hospital www.stjude.org or to an animal shelter of one's choice. To send a condolence to her family please see her obituary at:: www.beecherandbennett.com