Millie Elizabeth (pantano) Rocco

Millie Elizabeth (Pantano) Rocco, 54, of Rocky Hill, passed from this life on Sunday (November 25, 2007) after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer. Millie was the daughter of Francesco and Salvatrice Pace of Wethersfield. She attended Hartford area schools and received her Bachelor's Degree in teaching in 1976 from Central CT State College. She began her career as a Special Education Teacher at the Hartford Regional Center. Then after, she gained teaching assignments at Institute of Living, teaching young women afflicted with anorexia nervosa, and also at The Gengris Center. In 1989 and for the next four years, she accepted a position as Director of the Morning Star Day Care Center in East Hartford, where she helped to license and build a program for over 50 underprivileged children. She also became involved with the Clown Ministry, an outreach program, bringing joy to all those children needing a good laugh in their lives. Millie then returned to her passion for learning and education and attended the University of Hartford, earning her Master's Degree and Sixth Year Certification in Education and Leadership. From 1997 to 2003 she was a teacher at the Hartford Transitional Learning Academy, continuing her career in mentoring and teaching troubled and underprivileged young men and women. In 2003, she transitioned to Hartford Public High School as a Special Education Science and History teacher. One other passion of Millie's, being a true champion of children, was working as a Birth-To-Three teacher and counselor from 1998 to 2005, traveling to inner-city homes helping and teaching children and their families in their daily lives. Including her parents, she is survived by her daughter Melissa Rocco and grandson Jayden D'Angelo of Middletown; Jayden's father, Matthew D'Angelo of Windsor; two sisters, Tina Pantano of Cromwell and Erina Hellyar and her husband Brian of Wethersfield; her twin brother John Pantano and his wife Elizabeth of East Granby; her two kitties, Spunky and Floyd; and many loving family members and dear friends. Millie's family would like to thank her close friends for their support and time, her doctors and their staff, as well as the wonderful health care staff and nurses at VITAS Hospice for the incredible understanding and unwavering service to bring about Millie's wishes to be at her home, a place she truly loved and cherished. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 1, at 10 a.m. in St. Elizabeth Seton Church, 280 Brook Street, Rocky Hill. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Millie's memory may be made to the American Cancer Society-MSABC, Hartford Unit, 538 Preston Ave., P.O. Box 1004, Meriden, CT 06450. For online expressions of sympathy to the family, please visit www.desopo.com