Agatha Mary "Gaye" Baio

Agatha Mary “Gaye” (Rondinone) Baio, 95, of Hartford, Wethersfield, and then Rocky Hill, beloved wife of fifty years to the late Francis A. “Frank” Baio Sr., passed peacefully from this life in the early morning hours of March 1st, 2024, surrounded by those dear to her. Born in Hartford on January 2nd, 1929, she was the daughter of Italian immigrants Dominic and Antoinette (Gerarde) Rondinone. Raised in Hartford’s North End, Gaye worked alongside her family at her father’s bakery, Rondinone’s Bakery, on Franklin Avenue in Hartford’s South End. She graduated from Weaver High School, class of ‘47, where she participated in a number of activities, including girls’ basketball, the Ingleside club, and the prom committee. She also enjoyed ice skating and bowling. Gaye was described in her yearbook as a “Devastating Brunette.” While still in high school, her classmates recognized that “a diamond sparkles on her third left,” noting her engagement to the man who would become her husband. At age nineteen, she married the love of her life, Frank. They were married for fifty years prior to his death in 1998.

In addition to her time at Rondinone’s Bakery, Gaye worked as a keypunch operator at Travelers and often assisted her husband with his side gig in the Tony Frank Orchestra. Gaye and Frank were both active in Hartford politics as well, holding various leadership positions and working on many campaigns. As they started their family, Gaye turned her attention to becoming a full-time homemaker while still finding time to participate in these endeavors. As with everything she did, Gaye took the job of raising her children very seriously. They made their home in Hartford and ultimately moved to Wethersfield when their children were young adults. She was a constant presence with her children in such roles as a classroom parent, field trip chaperone, and Girls’ Brigade leader during their years at St. Augustine School. In addition to raising her children, Gaye was active in the community, volunteering with various groups and even working part-time in the Seed Company at Comstock Ferry. During her final years, Gaye made her home in Rocky Hill.

Gaye loved people. She was an active member first of St, Augustine Church, then of Sacred Heart Church, and the South End Senior Center. She developed strong friend groups that lasted a lifetime, from her ladies’ circle with a love of handicrafts and coffee talk, affectionately referred to as the “Nutty Knitters,” to her “church ladies” and “beach ladies.” Gaye was a dog lover and enjoyed crocheting and crafting, bingo with friends, volunteering and social action, cooking and baking, spending summers at the beach in Old Lyme, where she was a long-time summer resident, and, most of all, spending time with family and friends. She was devout in her faith, her Italian-American heritage and was dedicated to her family. Having lost her mom at an early age and needing to care for her during her illness, Gaye then dedicated her life to continuing to care for the rest of her family. In addition to her parents and her beloved husband, she is predeceased by her brothers, Anthony Gerarde Rondinone and Nicholas Caruso Sr., as well as a number of dear brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, including her special “little sister,” Mary Baio McCuin.

She is survived by her daughter, Judge Claudia A. Baio (husband Robert Downes, and Gaye’s grandson, Robert T.F. Downes), and her son Frank Baio Jr. (Tina Sparrow) and family. Gaye is also survived by daughter Mary Ann Levesque (Roger) and family, Gaye’s grandchildren, special nieces and nephews, godchildren, cousins, and dear friends. She will be forever missed by all.

Special thanks go out to the compassionate North 2 healthcare team at Manchester Manor/Manchester Rehab., including Trudy, Khudi, Abby, Marissa, Erin, Mable, Cheryl, Lisa M., and a very special friend and caregiver, Peach.

The family will receive relatives and friends on March 8, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the D’Esopo Funeral Chapel, 277 Folly Brook Blvd., Wethersfield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at St. James Church of St. Josephine Bakhita Parish, 767 Elm St., Rocky Hill. Those wishing to attend are asked to go directly to the church. Donations in Gaye’s memory may be made to Out to Pasture Farm and Rescue, P.O. Box 310174, Newington, CT 06131 (www.outtopasture.org/donate); the Shriners’ Hospital Burn Center, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114 (www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/locations/boston); or the Alzheimer’s Association-Connecticut Chapter, 200 Executive Blvd S #4b, Southington, CT 06489 (www.alz.org/CT).