Cook Extraordinaire, Practical Joker Extraordinaire, Florence DeFilippo, 85, Succumbs

With her family at her bedside, Florence "Flossie" Mae Darby DeFilippo peacefully died on Nov. 5 at the age of 85. The East Haven woman is fondly remembered by friends and family for making people laugh with her practical jokes.

She was born on Sept. 22, 1925, in West Haven to the late Charles and Edna Clark Darby. Florence  was a West Haven High School graduate and loved Savin Rock and the beach. She had lived through the hurricane of 1938, when the tide rushed into her house, and enjoyed telling people about that experience.

Florence was known for her cooking and baking, not only the quality but also the quantity. She'd put together a picnic for dozens with ease. Hotdogs and hamburgers were not on the menu of a "Flossie Picnic."

But practical jokes and cooking paled in comparison to her devotion to her family.

A retired H.B. Ives Co. employee, Florence was predeceased by her husband, John "Jack" DeFilippo, and sisters Virginia Miller, Claire Darby, Charlotte Breen and Blanch Neibel. She leaves behind daughter, Ginny DeFilippo; son, John DeFilippo; step-daughter, Linda David; and her poodle, Raymond, all of East Haven.

In lieu of flowers and apropos to Florence's dedication to feeding others, memorial contributions may be made to the Connecticut Food Bank, P.O. Box 8686, New Haven, Conn. 06531.

Her funeral is at 10 a.m. on Nov. 9 in the Clancy Funeral Home, 43 Kirkham Ave., East Haven. Burial will follow in All Saints Cemetery. Friends may call on Nov. 8 from 4 p.m.-8 pm.