Mary Gratton
To know her was to say you were blessed
Mary (Buonadonna) Gratton passed away on March 30th at 88 years of age.
She was a lifelong resident of Revere and a loving and devoted mother to her three children: Caprice, Jeff and her late son, Jerome “Jay” Gratton. She was the cherished Nana to six beautiful grandchildren: Michael, Stella, Sophia, Joseph, Brooke and Erin. Nana was over the moon with the joy of having two
great grandchildren, Chrisopher Jay and Madilyn Steinhoff. She is also survived by her brother, Frank Bonna of Melrose. and was predeceased by her late brothers: Dom, Joe and Vinny Buonadonna. She was loved by her nieces, nephews and cousins and she remembered all of their birthdays. She had three daughters-in-
law: Brandi, Nellie and Megan.
To know Mary was to say you were blessed, she was always laughing, smiling, her greeting was “Good Morning” no matter what time of the day. To her friends and family, she will be dearly missed.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 6th, 2025 at 1 p.m. at the Orient Heights Yacht Club, 61 Bayswater Street, East Boston, MA 02128. To send online condolences, please visit www.vertucciosmithvazza.com.
Estelle Rostoff
She was beloved by everyone she met
Estelle Rostoff of Swampscott passed away peacefully on May 18, 2025 at Salem Hospital, surrounded by her loving family.
Estelle was born on January 22, 1940 in Revere where she met and married her high school sweetheart, Neil Rostoff. Estelle and Neil enjoyed 57 wonderful years of marriage until Neil’s passing in 2017.
Estelle had two children, Karen Rostoff of Marblehead and Rick Rostoff of Swampscott, two grandchildren, Michelle Hodgman (Eric) of Acton and Mark Imber (Jacqueline) of Marblehead, and two great grandchildren, Charles Theodore Hodgman and Nathaniel Rocky Hodgman of Acton.
Estelle graduated from Revere High School and attended Boston University.
She worked in various retail positions on Newbury Street in Boston and in Marblehead.
Estelle and Neil truly enjoyed life, especially going on trips with family and to all of the hottest restaurants with their friends and family. Some of their favorite vacation spots included Las Vegas, Aruba, Puerto Rico, and Florida, but they were happy wherever they were with their family.
Estelle loved watching sports, especially the Patriots, the Red Sox and the Kentucky Derby. She also enjoyed playing Mah Jong with dozens of friends throughout the years.
Estelle was beloved by everyone she met and she had many, many friends throughout the North Shore.
Services honoring the life of Estelle Rostoff will be held today, Wednesday, May 21 at 2 p.m. at Stanetsky Hymanson Chapel, 10 Vinnin Street, Salem, immediately followed by a burial at the Pride of Lynn Cemetery, 89 Lakeshore Road, Lynn. For more information or to register in the online guestbook, please visit www.stanetskyhymansonsalem.com.
The family will be sitting Shiva at the Crown Club at 400 Paradise Road in Swampscott following the interment today, Wednesday, May 21st and on Thursday, May 22nd from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Estelle’s memory may be made to the Greater Boston Food Bank, 70 S Bay Ave, Boston, MA 02118.
Amelia “Amy” (DeSimone) Sponpinato
Her greatest passion in life was guiding her family
Amelia “Amy” (DeSimone) Sponpinato, 88, of Revere, born in Calore, Avellino, Italy, passed away at home, surrounded by her loving family on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
She was the cherished daughter of the late Angelo and Luigia (Buonopane) DeSimone; beloved wife of 59 years to the late Salvatore L. “Googie” Sponpinato; daughter in law to the late Joseph “Lefty” and Anna (Simonelli) Sponpinato; loving mother of Anna Robinson and her husband, Robert, Gina Mack and her husband, William, Lisa Petrillo and her husband. Roberto and Nancy Sponpinato and her companion, Michael Lewis; adored grandmother of Colleen Rossetti and her husband, Michael, R. Harley Petrillo, Jessica Catanzariti and her husband, Matthew, James Petrillo, Antonia Robinson, William Petrillo, and Marina Robinson; loving great grandmother of Dominic, Ada, Salvatore and Annie; caring sister of Luisa Grasso, Giuseppina Prezioso, Violante Capurso, Flora D’Avolio and her husband, Charles and the late Michael DeSimone; sister-in-law of the late Phyllis Bavaro and Adele Ciampa. Amelia is also survived by her beloved cousins, nieces and nephews and her dearest friend of 70 years, Barbara Celata.
Amy’s passion in life was guiding her family. Whether she was cooking, passing down recipes, tending to her garden, pruning her treasured peach trees, ensuring the knowledge she brought over from Italy was passed down to her children, and more importantly, to her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
She was an avid fan of the Boston Celtics and could often be found wearing her Celtics gear.
Amy was diagnosed with glioblastoma in December 2024 and after a brief time in the hospital and rehab facility, she returned home to spend her time with all of her family. She was surrounded by her daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren daily until her final moments. She spent the last months of her life enjoying everything and everybody she loved. She taught her daughters how to make Easter Pizzagaina. She made focaccia with her daughters the day before she passed. She made a Peaches and Cream cake, a recipe passed down from her mother-in-law, on her final day insisting that the whipped cream needed more sugar.
Always the mother, her last words were to her great granddaughter, to make sure she had a sweater on before she went outside. Ten minutes later, she said she did not feel well, rested on her recliner and, peacefully, rejoined her husband in Heaven.
The family would like to extend a heartfelt “thank you” to Dr. Budiu for the decades of care and guidance she provided to our parents. The family would also like to acknowledge the care from the team at AllCare Hospice.
A Funeral Mass was celebrated in the Immaculate Conception Church on Tuesday, May 20th , followed by interment in Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett. Donations may be made in Amelia’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN To send online condolences, please visit www.vertucciosmithvazza.com. Funeral arrangements entrusted to the care and direction of the Vertuccio Smith & Vazza, Beechwood Home for Funerals, Revere.
Dorothy “Dottie” Natola
Retired Mass. Financial Services Business Analyst
Family and friends attended Visiting Hours on Tuesday, May 20th in the Vertuccio Smith & Vazza, Beechwood Home for Funerals, 262 Beach St., Revere for Dorothy M. “Dottie” (Tibbetts) Natola, who passed away on May 14th at 81 years of age. Her Funeral will begin from the funeral home today, Wednesday, May 21st at 10 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass in Blessed Mother of the Morning Star Parish – St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 670 Washington Ave., Revere at 11 a.m. Interment will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden.
Born in Chelsea, she was the daughter of Edward and Catherine (McCann) Tibbetts. She was raised in Stoneham and was a graduate of Stoneham High School. After graduating high school, she enrolled at Regis College and majored in Mathematics, earning a bachelor’s degree. Following college, she worked at Emmanuel College.
In 1965, she married Pasquale “Butch” Natola and the couple settled in Revere where they raised their family. Throughout the years, Dottie worked various jobs and also spent several years volunteering her time at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. As her children grew older, she returned fully to the workforce and enjoyed a career as a Business Analyst working for Mass Financial Services in Boston. She retired in 2010.
Dorothy was able to enjoy her retirement, and she took the opportunity to spend time with her family and friends. In her spare time, she was an avid reader and loved to knit. She loved to challenge herself by playing assorted games online such as crossword puzzles and she was particularly entertained by online casino slot machines. Dottie was also devoted to caring for the family dog, “Jack” who she adored.
She was the beloved wife of the late Pasquale F. “Butch” Natola, Jr.; devoted mother of Diane Moore and her husband, John and Mark Natola, all of Revere, William Natola and his wife, Mayada Massabni of Woburn, and Eric Natola of Revere; cherished grandmother of Samantha Fuller and her husband, Jeff, Zachary Moore, Emilee Natola and her fiancé, Steve Chesley, Aleksa and Jarrod Natola and the dear sister of Elizabeth Tibbetts, Gail Hanson, Edward Tibbetts and the late Alice Beane.
Should friends desire, contributions in her memory may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168
To send online condolences, please visit www.vertucciosmithvazza.com. Funeral arrangements entrusted to the care and direction of the Vertuccio Smith & Vazza, Beechwood Home for Funerals, Revere.
