Tantalo, Grace A.

Greece, NY: Wednesday, August 6, 2026.

Grace was predeceased by her parents, Paul and Agnes Tantalo as well as her seven siblings, Carmel, Columbia, Louis, John, Josephine, Rose and Telesfore (Tala), as well as four nieces, one nephew and one great, grandnephew.

She is survived by nieces and nephews, Paula Dailey, Marie Tantalo (Susan Pearce), Paul Tantalo (Belinda), Bill Maddison (Bonnie Booth), Michael Triassi (Vicki), Virginia Capostagno (Jerry) , Mary Jane Witkiewitz (Paul Sivret) and numerous grand and great grand nieces and nephews and cousins.

Grace was born and raised in Rochester, NY and passed away just 18 days short of her 98th birthday! The family lived in a very small house on Saxton Street for years. In 1974, she and her sister moved to a home on Lake Ontario where they enjoyed sitting for hours watching the boat traffic and the changing patterns of the water and the waves. Winter, on the other hand, was not as welcome but, there was no talking them into moving.

She worked in the Monroe Court System for 25+ years and was loved and respected by her coworkers and friends for her work ethic, knowledge, her moral compass and true Christian values. But she did not “suffer fools gladly” meaning that she did not have patience for silly talk, nonsense, or people she thought lacked sense. She could raise her voice when necessary or give you “the look” that let you know that you did or said something she did not condone or agree with!

Grace was an avid and dedicated sports fan with unwavering allegiance to the New York Yankees and the Buffalo Bills. She was an excellent athlete who played varsity basketball at Nazareth Academy and loved playing golf after she retired. Unlike today, girls and women of her generation could not play many sports-at any level. Given the chance, she undoubtedly would have been a professional athlete in some sport.

Family was always a priority with Grace; she never married and she and her sister Rose lived with and took care of their parents for many years. After they passed, they continued to live together with Grace taking care of Rose when her health declined. Spending time with her nieces, nephews, cousins and their offspring, was one of her greatest joys because she was always thinking about their future and their responsibility to carry on the Tantalo name. She would tell us — only half jokingly – that if we ever got into trouble, “Don’t tell them your name is Tantalo!” She was a stickler for family traditions such as Christmas Eve and the Feast of the Seven Fishes as well as the making of homemade Easter Bread and having Frittata on Easter Sunday morning — traditions that she personally carried on even after her parents and sister passed. It is mind boggling for us to realize how much she did, all on her own, to keep those traditions alive.

Our family is consoled by the fact that she lived a rewarding and beautiful life and that she passed at home – something she repeatedly let us know was her wish – and that she knew she was loved and cherished by her family, friends and neighbors. She was one of a kind and she will be greatly missed.