Obituary of Carolyn M. DeSantis

Carolyn M. DeSantis found eternal peace on July 20, 2024, surrounded by her family. Blessed with 56 joyous years of marriage to her beloved Andrew, Carolyn’s life was a model of love, faith and devotion for her family, friends and all who knew her. 

Born April 7, 1946, to the late Anna and John Kolp, she grew up in Union City, New Jersey, where she met Andy. She was smitten from the moment she knew they shared the same birth date, exactly one year apart. Her love for him grew as she watched him grow in friendship with her younger sister, Sue. They married on June 1, 1968, and their three daughters were born over the next 6 years. Carolyn’s home became the center of family celebrations, filled with dreams, laughter and love.

Life brought them to Elma, New York, where their family became complete when their son, AJ, was born. They moved to Clifton Park in the early 1980s to be closer to extended family and in support of Andy’s self-employment.

Carolyn soon became active in Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Ushers New York, and encouraged her family to do the same. There, she made lifelong friends, including her Bethany Group, and truly found a sense of community. 

As her children got older, Carolyn found a career in residential real estate in Clifton Park. She became a licensed Realtor, getting her start at Welburne and Purdy and continuing for many years before retiring from Coldwell Banker. Awards and accolades abounded in her career, but her true reward was the reaction and gratitude of her clients when they moved into their new homes. Carolyn was particularly fond of her repeat customers. She enjoyed catching up with them as they prepared to move to their new house from the home she had sold them many years before.

It was fitting that Carolyn found happiness in finding homes for other people because her home was the center of her life. She loved nothing more than to be involved in her family’s lives and activities. An exceptional hostess, Carolyn was most comfortable when her house was bustling with activity and overflowing with chaos caused by having everyone all in one place. Family gatherings, impromptu dinners, and celebrations revolved around her kitchen and home.

Baking cookies and hosting a gathering on Christmas Eve after midnight mass were particularly treasured family traditions. The best days with Carolyn included a friendly, but highly competitive, board game or a game of cards, amaretto and family around the table. 

Her family eventually expanded as she became “Grammy.” A doting grandmother, Carolyn never tired of hearing of, and bragging about, her grandchildren’s adventures. Endless school concerts, athletic events, accomplishments, dance recitals and birthday parties and the stories that went along with them filled Grammy with joy over the last 25 years. Her grandchildren, Anthony, Amanda, and Thomas Bertocchi, Josephine and Dominic Calareso, and Kathryn and Lindsey DeSantis, love her dearly and will forever miss her. 

Carolyn is survived by her husband, Andy, her daughter, Christina Bertocchi of Washingtonville; JulieAnn (Jack) Calareso of Niskayuna; Lauren (the late Edwin) Thomas of Loudonville; and AJ (Jennifer) DeSantis of Ballston Lake Susan E. and Umberto Coletta, her sister and brother-in-law, of Holmdel, New Jersey; her brother-in-law, John DeSantis, of Brick, New Jersey; and her cherished grandchildren.

Carolyn’s life was honored with the dignity and respect shown to her by the staff and leadership of Teresian House. Andy and the children are sincerely grateful to all who traveled the journey of caregiving with them. Their compassionate care reflected their dedication to their calling in life and we were fortunate to witness their skills at work with Carolyn.

Andy and family invite you to join them in remembering Carolyn on Thursday, July 25^th from 4-7pm at Gordon C. Emerick Funeral Home, 1550 US-9, Clifton Park, NY, and with a Mass of Christian Burial on Friday, July 26^th at 10:00am at Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church, 2001 US-9, Round Lake, NY. Carolyn will be laid to rest immediately following mass at Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery in Niskayuna, NY. Family and friends are welcome to join Carolyn’s family for interment and a luncheon immediately following. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made in Carolyn’s honor to the Teresian House Foundation, 200 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany N.Y. 12203, to support its Activity Programs. https://teresianhouse.org/ The donations will allow Teresian House to further its mission as a beacon of Catholic health care for the community it serves and all the lives it touches.