Dr. Corinne Rose Scalzitti

From an old glass factory town of 10,000 where “everybody knew everybody” to fixing thousands of smiles, Corinne showed us all how far grit, curiosity, and a sharp sense of humor can take an Italian girl from Jeannette, Pennsylvania.

The eldest of four and beloved daughter of Virginia and Arthur Scalzitti, she mastered small town diplomacy before deciding three things by an early age: leave Jeannette; skip the local girls’ college; never be “just a housewife, not that there’s anything wrong with that.” Mission Accomplished, and then some.

Valedictorian ambition carried her from babysitting jobs to washing test tubes at Jeannette Memorial Hospital to scholarships at St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, with a punchline she loved: “where the boy to girl ratio was a convenient 7:1.” After applying and being accepted to the University of Pittsburgh Dental School, she was called into the dean’s office in the first few weeks of school and told that she was to receive a minority scholarship that covered not only tuition, but books and all the expensive supplies. When she called her mother to tell her the good news, she said: “I didn’t know Italians were still minorities.” Corinne told her Ma, “it’s because I’m a girl.” At Pitt she earned her DMD and the lifelong title “Dr. Scalzitti.”

At a time when a woman dentist was an oxymoron, the Austin State Hospital offered the only open door. She walked through, then kept climbing, eventually becoming Director of Dental Services for the (then named) Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation where she made many lifelong friends. The title let her rub elbows with lawmakers under the pink granite dome and remind them, pointedly, that power does not excuse plaque.

Corinne joined the Texas National Guard as a dentist, logging drill weekends in camo before being honorably discharged on the eve of the Gulf War with newborn son Chris in arms and orders that mom duty trumped active duty. Corinne consistently expressed that her proudest joy was being Chris's mom.

Since 1977, Dr. Scalzitti has led the way for other female dentists in Austin and throughout Texas. Her caring touch and concern for her patients sets her apart from your everyday dentist and led to opening her own practice in 1997, Bee Cave Dental Center, one of Austin’s first female run practices. She could not have done so without the help of her mentors Dr. Randy and Dr. John. She was part time housewife (but not just a housewife), full time mother, part time dentist, part time business owner, part time state employee, and she racked up credentials that only a handful of Texas dentists hold:

-Master, Academy of General Dentistry (1,100+ hours, 16 disciplines)

-Fellow, Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies

-Inductee, Super Dentists Texas Hall of Fame

A proud Rotarian, she hawked raffle tickets “so some other kid can buy a one-way ticket out of town.” On a 1985 ski trip to Vail, CO she met Mike Willatt. They married in 1986 and welcomed son Chris in 1987. As a mother, she set an example of what hard work and unconditional love can bring. Together they logged road trips and sky miles, mystery novels, and spirited dinner debates that proved who could out talk who. She won every time.

Patients came for crowns but stayed for stories: carjacking Dad’s Studebaker at age three, autopsy adventures, Jeannette’s small-town politics. There is lingering suspicion that she became a dentist so that she could talk to you while you had a mouth full of dental tools, and it worked. She became rich in friends.

In the last eight years, Corinne suffered a variety of setbacks caused by aneurysm and strokes that led to her aphasia and transition to Brookdale Northwest Hills Assisted Living. In the onset and throughout her illness, Corinne received tremendous help from Brookdale, friends, and neighbors. She was honored and entertained when she had a visitor from her professional and social life. It meant so much to her and her family that so many people took the time to spend time with her. Corinne and her family appreciate the kind help provided to her by everyone at Brookdale, especially her friend, Edna.

Corinne left us on May 20th, 2025, after proving that beginnings do not dictate endings. She is survived by her sister Monica Heyl; son Chris Willatt; step daughters Allison Floyd, Stephanie Willatt, and Karen Willatt; ten adored grandchildren; a sprawling clan from Jeannette to Austin; and patients who still floss because she just might check.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Mike Willatt, and brothers Terrence (Terry) and Arthur (Danny) Scalzitti.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to the America’s Tooth Fairy.

There will be an opportunity for any friends or family who wish to speak, to share their stories and memories at the end of the service.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 5, 2025, from 9:00-10:00AM at Cook-Walden Lamar, 6100 N. Lamar Blvd, Austin, 75752. Funeral Services will be held at 10:00-11:00AM. She will be laid to rest at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery, in Austin, TX 11:15 – 11:30AM.