DeSantis, Irene A. (Sasso) Pittsford: July 31, 2015. Irene is predeceased by her husband, Dr. Carlo E. DeSantis; parents, Rose and Saverio Sasso. She will be deeply missed by her adoring children, John (Eric Esau) DeSantis, Ann-Marie DeSantis, Donna DeSantis Snyder, James (Cynthia) DeSantis, Carla (Reni Caccamo) DeSantis; beloved grandchildren, Lauren Snyder, Eric Snyder, Lillian DeSantis, Maria DeSantis, Luke Caccamo, Andrew DeSantis, Peter DeSantis, Noah Caccamo, Julia Caccamo; devoted brother, Rev. Joseph Sasso; brothers-in-law, Frank DeSantis, Joe Damico; many nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends. Irene was born on May 25, 1933 in Rochester, N.Y. to an Italian-American family. The community of St. Francis of Assisi Parish was the focus of her childhood activities, along with her large extended family of dear cousins, aunts, and uncles who were such a large part of her daily life. Irene's childhood was spent during WWII, during which time she did her part by faithfully writing to uncles who were serving abroad. It was in the Jay-Child-Smith St. neighborhood that she met the love of her life, Carlo DeSantis, when still in grade school. She graduated from Our Lady of Mercy High School in 1951, where she was a cheerleader and editor of the school newspaper. She graduated from St. Mary's Hospital School of Nursing in 1954, and worked as a dedicated and compassionate pediatric nurse at that same hospital. After Carlo and Irene married in 1955, her true calling began: she became a devoted mother to five children and excelled in that role for the rest of her life. A woman of countless talents, Irene was a gifted writer and storyteller, artist, tennis player, skier, singer, pianist, gardener, cook, world traveller, and master pie maker, and shared all of these gifts with her family and friends. One of the most valued birthday gifts one of her friends could receive was one of Irene's homemade pies! She has left the legacy of many beautiful paintings for her family to enjoy, and in her later years began to write and share her memoirs, always written with skill and humor. And her sense of adventure was great, as she enjoyed travelling throughout Europe and North America during her life. 0ne of the great gifts in Irene's life was her deep faith, which she practiced with deep devotion every day of her life. She loved singing in the choir at St. Louis Church, Pittsford, where she was a parishioner for 47 years. The tender compassion and care that she showed to her tiniest patients carried over to every aspect of her life. Her greatest talents and gifts were that of a completely devoted mother, grandmother, daughter, wife, sister, friend. Everyone who met Irene couldn't help loving her, for people felt that they became a better person just by knowing her. Irene always felt a calling to help those she loved, especially when in need. No one who knew and loved Irene will ever forget her positive, encouraging attitude, sunny disposition, and fun sense of humor. She always felt her greatest accomplishment was her family, and she was most content when all of her children and grandchildren were gathered together around her, usually laughing and bustling around the kitchen. Her true success is borne out by the fact that her children and grandchildren all adored her utterly and completely, and will miss her immeasurably. Irene's visitation will be Tuesday from 2-4 7-9 PM at the funeral home, 1411 Vintage Lane (between 390 Long Pond Rd.) Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday at 11am at St. Louis Church, 64 S. Main St, Pittsford, NY 14534. Interment in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 1200 Scottsville Rd, #A, Rochester, NY 14624 or online at www.jdrf.org, in Irene's memory.