It is with great sadness, we announce the loss of our beloved mother, Carol Ann (Schantz) Bernarduci, 80, of West Hartford, Conn. She passed peacefully in her home on March 28, 2022. Carol was born on Oct. 11, 1941, in Wyckoff Heights, Ridgewood N.Y., the middle daughter of the late Fredrick and Delores Schantz.

Carol will always be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend.  Known for her quick wit and humor, she had a life filled with full-hearted love and irrepressible laughter. While her first marriage ended, it gave her a beautiful baby girl. As a single mother, she worked as a secretary where she met her husband, William Bernarduci, who wooed her by the water cooler singing Dean Martin’s “On an Evening in Roma.” They married in 1966 and had a set of twins.

Eventually, Carol brought her family and her signature Queens accent to Connecticut, moving to Wolcott, then Bristol and later Avon. She had a tenacious strength and unshakable faith which helped her overcome many challenges. She worked as a secretary at Barnes Group for 26 years and took on a second job to put her children through college. She was a long-term survivor of breast, colon and lung cancer. After her husband’s sudden death in 1997, she persevered as the rock of her family, always quick with a joke and a warm hug. Later in life, she grieved the loss of her devoted companion Bob Easton.

Her life was active and involved. She was member of St. Joseph and St. Mary churches, a Girl Scout supporter, a Cub Scout den leader, the biggest fan of her son’s wresting teams, a volunteer at Big Sister Support and UConn Medical Center, a member of the Avon Garden Club and Italian American Club where she enjoyed playing bocce and making pasta.

She is survived by her children Elaine and Stephen J. Baranowski (Carmel, N.Y.), William and Gina (Bolvin) Bernarduci (Boston, MA) and Robert and Miriam (Eriksson) Bernarduci (Avon, Conn.), and her sister Patricia Baker. She especially loved all of her grandchildren who called her “Grandma Santa Claus” because of her ability to spoil them. Caitlin, Stephen, and Alexandra Baranowski, Ella, Jesse, and Gina Bella Bernarduci.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, April 2, at 11:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Church, 33 Queen St., Bristol. Burial will follow in the Peacedale Cemetery, Bristol.

Relatives and friends may call at Funk Funeral Home, 35 Bellevue Ave., Bristol, on Saturday between 10 and 11 a.m.

Please visit Carol’s memorial website at www.FunkFuneralHome.com.