Dorothy Florence Contrestano

Dorothy is survived by son Dennis Contrestano of Fresno, California; son Mark Contrestano of San Antonio (Texas), Texas; and son Arthur (Art) Contrestano of Fresno, California; brother Eugene DeManty of Fresno, California. Ten Grandchildren and Two Great Grandchildren.

Dorothy Florence Contrestano born to Louis and Josephine DeManty on November 4, 1918. The first of their five children. Her father was stationed in France at the close of the First World War. He and a buddy went to see a movie starring Dorothy Gish, he wrote home to name his new daughter Dorothy.

She was raised on “E”ST in an Italian neighborhood. Her father returned home from the war to become a fireman, a band leader and music teacher. Dorothy learned to play the piano which she would continue to play right up to her last days. She often could be heard playing some of her father’s original music.

Being raised with four brothers, she easily became an outstanding athlete. Good at baseball, track, basketball and tennis. She was straight “A” student graduating from Fresno High School, on the honor roll and member of the Girls Athletic Association, receiving two Letters.

After graduation she had intended on going to college to study law, but unfortunately, her father passed away and she had to go to work. Dorothy, worked at Golden State Bakery, then at St Agnes Hospital for several years. Eventually she was hired by the Hastie’s to sell women’s clothes at the Betty Shop and later went to work as manager and buyer for Madeleine’s Bridal Shop.

She was an outstanding cook, having learned from her mother. She passed down all of her recipes, for her homemade pasta sauce, ravioli, her famous white chicken cacciatore, stuffed calamari, taralli’s, and so many more, that she was encouraged to put them all into a book.

She met her husband Anthony (Tony) Contrestano through her brother Harry. Her brother couldn’t make his tennis match on Sunday, with Tony, Dorothy filled in and beat him. It became a regular thing. Dorothy and Tony enjoyed Sunday tennis, went to mass together and dated. World War II began and Tony joined the Army Air Corps and became a meteorologist, while serving in the Air Corps. They soon married, as Tony was being shipped out. Tony was sent to France and then England. He was injured in a German air raid while serving in England. He returned home to the VA hospital. After recovering he was discharged a Master Sargent and He and Dorothy began a family.

In 1946 the first of their children was born a boy, Dennis. In 1948, Arthur, their second son was born.

Dorothy and Tony eventually bought their first house on E. Cornell. A small two bedroom with a nice yard, that they worked hard to improve. They had good neighbors and made many new friends. Dorothy, loved to cook, and when they could afford it, they would invite a couple of their new friends to a Sunday dinner. They sent the boys to Layfette for kindergarten and first grade then off to Sacred Heart Catholic school.

They sold the Cornell house several years later and bought a model home on W. Princeton Ave, where she would live for the next 50+ years. They joined Our Lady of Victory Parrish, where she was active in the women’s guild and the PTA, eventually becoming a Eucharistic Minister. They sent the boys to OLV school, San Joaquin Memorial and Fresno High. The boys where excellent athletes, mostly trained by her as Tony was on the road for weeks at a time, working “right of way” for AT&T.

In 1958 their third son Mark was born. He was sent to OLV school and graduated from San Joaquin Memorial, an outstanding athlete and student, she helped in his training and studies but mostly left it to the older boys.

Tony was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Dorothy took care of him for years, feeding him, hoisting him out of bed into his wheelchair and taking him outside. He succumbed to the disease in February of 1990.

Having no commitments, she decided to travel. She made several trips to Europe to see Italy and in particular the Vatican. She was thrilled to join a group of pilgrims from Our Lady of Victory Parrish, to Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, on several different occasions. She came back excited to have witnessed the visionaries and felt her faith strengthened.

She decided to sell her home and move into an apartment to be close to her sons and brother Harry who had moved down to Fresno from Rancho Murieta. She was happy, close to stores, made new friends, was busy and kept in shape by walking up to two miles every day. Unfortunately, Harry became ill and he eventually passed away in December of 2013.

She enjoyed a festive 100th birthday celebration hosted by her three sons, Dennis, Art and Mark, who flew in from San Antonio with his family, They, along with her brother Gene, emceed the event. Dorothy’s grandchildren, nieces and nephews, relatives and friends, old and new were in attendance.

In 2018 after Looking at several senior living facilities she decided to move in with her son Dennis and his wife Sheila. During this time she enjoyed “game nights” with her grandkids. She continued playing the piano almost every day, overseeing the cooking of many meals and enjoyed her time with her family.

She continued to visit her son’s, Art and Mark and his wife Cindy and children in San Antonio, Texas. In November of 2020 on a visit to Mark and Cindy’s, to see her new great grandbaby, it was learned that she had hand succumbed in morning of December the 8th.

She is survived by her immediate family: Her brother, Gene DeManty, her son Dennis and his wife Sheila, her son Art, her son Mark and his wife Cindy, her grandchildren: Jonathan (JT) and his fiancee’ Vanessa, Katherine and her husband Ryan and Elizabeth, Cameron and his wife Bekah, Austin and his wife Whitney and Andrea, her great grandchildren: Noah and Juda, her nieces and nephews: Lani and her husband John, Dewayne, Craig DeManty, Tim DeManty, Erik and Julie DeManty, Ivor and Lisa DeManty and Louis DeManty, Michael and Darla Anton, John Booker and his wife Bonnie, grand nieces and nephews and many cousins and friends.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.whitehurstsullivan.com for the Contrestano family.