Jennie (Vecchi) Serfilippi

Jennie (Vecchi) Serfilippi passed away peacefully at home on February 25, surrounded by her loving family.

Jennie was born in Waterbury on December 2, 1932, during the Great Depression, to Italian immigrant parents Mary (DeMarco) and Ferdinando Vecchi. She was the second of four children. When Jennie was just four years old, her father succumbed to pulmonary tuberculosis, leaving her mother to raise four young children alone. Tragedy struck again when Jennie’s infant brother, Claudio, died from meningitis, and her mother became too ill to care for her remaining children. Jennie and her siblings, Arthur and Josephine, lived with their maternal grandfather in Waterbury for several years before being removed from the home and becoming wards of the State.

Jennie, Arthur, and Josephine were initially kept together in various foster homes in Waterbury, but were eventually separated. Arthur remained in Waterbury, while Jennie and Josephine were relocated to Hamden. Determined to remain close to his sisters, Arthur, as a teenager, would travel alone by bus from Waterbury to Hamden to bring Jennie and Josephine back to Waterbury to spend holidays with their grandfather.

Jennie and Josephine moved between several foster families until, while working as waitresses at D’Andrea’s Restaurant, they caught the attention of owners Lorraine and Eddy D’Andrea. Taking a special liking to “the girls,” the D’Andrea family invited them to move in and become part of their growing household. It was here that Jennie and Josephine finally found comfort, stability, and happiness, and began a new chapter in their lives. The D’Andrea family also introduced Jennie to the love of her life, Raymond, whom she married in 1957 and shared 60 years together.

Jennie attended Hamden Public Schools and graduated from Hamden High School in 1952. After high school, she attended the Comptometer School in New Haven, where she earned a certificate as an IBM keypunch operator. Over the years, Jennie worked for several employers, including the Yale Co‑Op and Yale New Haven Hospital, where she dedicated more than 25 years of service before retiring in 1994.

Despite working full time for many years, Jennie's time and energy were always focused on her family. She was the heart of the family through both joyful and difficult times. Jennie served as the primary caregiver for her son Dennis throughout his long illness, for her sister Josephine during her battles with cancer, and for her husband Raymond when he was slowed by heart failure. She was the family’s matriarch maintaining family traditions and creating new ones, and organizing birthdays, celebrations, and holidays. And while Jennie was most at home when serving her signature dishes around a crowded table, or when welcoming an impromptu guest with a glass of Opici, she found her greatest joy in being surrounded by her grandchildren, whom she loved unconditionally.  

In recent years, Jennie bravely battled Parkinson’s disease, facing the challenge as she faced all others in her life—with grace, dignity, hope, and an unwavering faith in God. 

Jennie was a parishioner of St. Brendan Roman Catholic Church, and a proud resident of New Haven for more than 70 years. She is survived by her brother Arthur; sons, Claude (Coreen) and Dennis Serfilippi; her five beloved grandchildren, Savannah, Andreas, Arabella, Raphael, and Sebastiano; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Raymond, her sister Josephine, and her brother Claudio.

The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the large team of caregivers whose diligent efforts helped Jennie maintain a strong, pain-free quality of life throughout her battle with Parkinson’s: Dr. Philip Luchini, Dr. Lisbeth Steen, Dr. Vives Rodriguez, Dr. Ayse Tinaz, Dr. Marianne Passarelli and Dr. Muneeb Samma and devoted home health caregivers Elizabeth Molina, Betzy Velez, Nachy Valasquez, Karen Scott, Jessina Rodriguez, and Dan Craig. 

Friends and family may pay their respects at the Celentano Funeral Home, 424 Elm St., New Haven Sunday from 4-7 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday in St. Anthony Church 70 Washington Ave., New Haven at 10:00 AM. Interment will follow in Beaverdale Memorial Park.

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