Mary T. Vitarbo, 86, of Newtown, passed away on Tuesday, August 3, after a three-year battle with cancer. Mary continued this battle to the very end of her life, and it was indicative of her determination and strength to do things on her own terms.

Mary was born and raised in New York City, the daughter of her late parents, Ernesto and Lucia D’Ambrosio. She was a devoted sister to her four brothers, Louis, John, Vincent, and Anthony; mother of her two children, Annita and Ernest; grandmother of four, Anthony, Deena, Jessica, and Lin; and great-grandmother of Penelope.

Mary was a devoted Catholic and a deeply religious person and very active in St Rose of Lima Church. She particularly enjoyed the time she spent reading to the children at St Rose of Lima School.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 am on Thursday, August 19, at St Rose of Lima Church, 46 Church Hill Road, Newtown. Friends and family attending are asked to arrive no later than 10:30 am to greet the family.

Burial will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 10 West Stevens Avenue, Hawthorne, N.Y., at 1 pm.

In lieu of flowers or other expressions of sympathy, please make donations to St Rose of Lima School, 40 Church Hill Road, Newtown CT 06470; or stroseschool.com.