Remembering the life of Dorotea D'Agata (2024)

North Andover - Dorotea (Dorothy) D'Agata, 75, passed away on September 26, 2024, following a courageous five-year battle with cancer. She was at her home in North Andover, MA surrounded by her family.
It was always clear that she was special. This was evidenced by the way people from all aspects of her life would talk about her. Whether it was people from childhood, family, friends, or even the staff at Mass General Hospital. There was something different about her that enriched the lives of everyone she ever met. For the seventeen of us that loved her the most as a grandmother, mother, and wife, she was more than special – she was our everything.
However, before anyone in the world ever called her Nonna, Mom, or Mrs. D'Agata, she was Dora.
Dora was born on April 19, 1949, in Conca della Campania, Italy to Raffaele Accinno and Maria Pellegrino. Although she was their fourth child, her three older siblings passed away in their youth, and she became the eldest of what would become a family of twelve.
As a young child in Italy, it was obvious that Dora was destined for something more. She loved learning about languages, and she especially loved travelling. This combination took her to France as a teenager to learn French, and then on to the United States where she aspired to learn English and be an interpreter in the travel industry. She came to Lawrence, MA and attended Lawrence High School where she continued to excel despite the language barrier. One story she would often tell is that despite still learning the language, she got the highest grade in the class on a report on George Washington. She loved that story. Whenever she did tell stories about her childhood, her body language would change a little bit and she would sit a little more upright in her chair, and she would smile. She was proud of where she came from, and she knew she was smart.
Upon coming to the United States, she met a young man named Salvatore (Sam) D'Agata who came to the United States from Italy himself as a ten-year-old boy. They would then go on to be married for fifty-three years, and along the way, they would have four children: Fred, Graziella, Stephen, and Daniel. They started living in Lawrence and then moved to North Andover just as Sam moved from being a mason/contractor to owning the M. O'Mahoney Company in Lawrence. Dora not only stayed home with her children, but also helped Sam at the company as their bookkeeper. While at home, she raised her children with the same values she had with a heavy influence on education. She not only ensured they did well at school, but also made sure they learned and explored all of what New England had to offer. Day trips to the beach in Beverly, road trips to Vermont, going out to eat in Maine, visiting the mansions in Newport, RI, and touring the occasional presidential home were all part of the hands-on education she wanted for them. And she would also say it helped her continue to learn as well.
Outside of her children, she was also a central part of her larger family. Parties and gatherings at her house, which included holiday celebrations, showers, engagement parties, and family reunions were all meticulously planned and enjoyed by all. To complement her party planning, she was also a wonderful cook. Whether it was a New Year's Eve dinner for 50 people or dinner with her husband and children, Dora's food not only tasted delicious but also made you feel like you were cared for. Because of all this, people and relatives near and far always wanted to stay at Dora's house when they visited – affectionately dubbed "Hotel D'Agata."
But her last role was her greatest. Sam often joked that if he had to do this life over again, he wouldn't want to come back as Dora's husband, nor would he want to come back as one of Dora's children. He would want to come back as one of Dora's grandchildren, because nobody got treated better than they did. She loved her grandchildren more than anything and ensured everything in her house was catered to them whether it be toys, decorations around the holidays, or the ice cream novelties in the freezer (which benefitted everyone). She wanted to ensure that when they visited Nonna's house, they felt as comfortable and as loved as when they were in their own home. And all of them loved her back.
It should be said that there was more to her than just being a great wife, mother, and grandmother. Everything she ever did in her life was always done with love and thoughtfulness. It is the reason why she was so loved, and it is the reason that she'll always be remembered. She'll always be special – she'll always be our everything.
Dora was predeceased by her aforementioned parents, Raffaele Accinno and Maria Pellegrino and her siblings, Bruno Accinno, Antonio Accinno, Antonio Accinno, Gerardo Accinno, Paola Accinno, Angelo Accinno, and Italo Accinno. She is survived by her husband Sam, her four children along with their spouses (Fred & Ramona D'Agata of Haverhill, MA; Graziella and Ralph Cerulo of Kinnelon, NJ; Stephen & Kim D'Agata of Methuen, MA; and Daniel and Renee D'Agata of Medford, MA), her grandchildren (Andrew D'Agata, Owen D'Agata, Christian Cerulo, Alessia Cerulo, Evan D'Agata, Luca D'Agata, Dash D'Agata, and Lucy D'Agata), her siblings, all in Italy (Annamaria Accinno, Bruno Accinno, Leonardo Accinno, Carlo Accinno, Elisabetta Accinno, Franco Accinno, and Monica Accinno), and her sister-in-law (Agata "Tina" LaSpina of Methuen, MA). She also leaves behind several nephews and nieces in the United States and in Italy. It should also be noted that her closest relative here in the United States was her cousin, Rose Marie DiResta of Salisbury, MA – she was not only a good friend to Dora when she initially came to the US, but also a pivotal person in helping Dora battle cancer the last five years.
Visiting hours will be at Conte Funeral Home in North Andover on Monday, September 30th from 4 to 8 p.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Michael's Parish in North Andover on Tuesday, October 1st at 10 a.m. along with burial following at Ridgewood Cemetery also in North Andover.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the following charities in Dora's name: St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org) Shriners Hospitals for Children (https://lovetotherescue.org/).

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Published on September 29, 2024