Mario Francis Derosa

Mario Francis DeRosa, age 96 of Berlin, CT, passed away peacefully at his home in the care of his loving family on Nov 28, 2024.  Mario was born on March 15, 1928 to the late Alphonso DeRosa and Millie (Fidele) DeRosa, in Brooklyn, NY.  He was raised in Brooklyn and resided there until 2007, when he retired to Connecticut to be close to family.  He remained a native New Yorker through and through, but also enjoyed his life in Connecticut, despite the fact that the bagels and pizza were “not as good”.

Mario worked in the grocery/deli business in Brooklyn, NY.  He started at Ralston’s market as a teenager, and worked for decades at John’s Deli and then at Landi’s Pork Store in the Marine Park section of Brooklyn.  He loved working with people, and always had a cheerful greeting for customers and co-workers.  He also was a devoted New York Mets fan and rooted for them wholeheartedly in the 2024 playoffs.

Mario is survived by his loving wife of 70 years, Louise (Sarlo) DeRosa, his daughter Patricia DeRosa, his daughter Janet DeRosa and husband Mitch Margold, his daughter Susan DeRosa and husband Jeff Cahoon, and his 2 wonderful grandchildren Sophia Cahoon and Noah Cahoon, of whom he was exceedingly proud.  He is also survived by his sister Norma (DeRosa) Morizio and many nieces and nephews.  In addition to his late parents, Mario is predeceased by his sister Tina DeRosa, brothers Joseph, Louis and Anthony DeRosa, and his sister Anna (DeRosa) Orlando.

Mario will be remembered for his kind and cheerful disposition, always joking around and happy to lend a hand.    He was a totally devoted husband to his lifelong love Louise, and a warm and loving father and grandfather.  Mario was universally loved by his nieces and nephews as the “fun uncle” and a “great guy”.  He will be deeply missed by his family and all who knew him.

Visitation will be held on Monday, Dec 2, 2024 from 1-3 pm and 5-7 pm, and on Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024 from 10-11 am, at Ericksen-Hansen Funeral Home of Berlin, 111 Chamberlain Highway, Berlin, CT, followed by a funeral mass on Tuesday, Dec 3 at 12 noon at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 47 West High Street, in East Hampton, CT.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be sent to:

Marine Park Alliance, Brooklyn, NY (marineparkalliance.org), provides free recreational, music, and holiday programming to the park community,  or

The Orphan Grain Train, a Christian volunteer network that provides disaster relief in the US and worldwide, and locally provides used medical equipment to the community (33 South Main Street, Terryville, CT 06786).  Donations can be directed to www.ogt.org, option to donate to New England Branch.