Obituary of Donna Merlotti

Donna L. Merlotti Services will be Thursday and Friday for Donna L. Merlotti who passed away January 28, 2011 at Dominican Hospital. She was 70. Donna was born in Santa Cruz on March 21, 1940, the daughter of Mario and Pauline (Rusciolelli) Merlotti. She grew up in Santa Cruz where she attended local schools and was a graduate of Santa Cruz High School, class of 1957. Following high school she attended San Jose State where she earned both a Bachelor's degree and Master's degree. Donna taught school for many years at Bay View Elementary where she was well known and well loved by many generations of children that she taught. During high school and college, Donna was an accomplished tennis player. She also played and coached women's softball. She was an avid Dodger fan and a fan of Santa Cruz High sports where she enjoyed following her family and former students sporting endeavors. She was a devout member of Holy Cross Catholic Church where she often participated as a lector. She was a member of the Italian Catholic Federation, California Teachers Association, American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and the Young Ladies Institute. She is survived by her sister, Marion Harris of Huntington Beach; her nieces, Marlene George of Santa Cruz, Debbie Foster of Huntington Beach and Judy Harris of Garden Grove; nephews, Michael DiTano of Santa Cruz and Robert Harris of Lake Forest, CA; she is also survived by her great nieces and nephews, Allie, Chris, Adam, Brian and Kevin. Donna was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Josephine DiTano in 2004. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at Holy Cross Church, 126 High St, Santa Cruz, CA on Friday February 4, 2011 at 11:00 am. A vigil prayer service will be held at Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St., Santa Cruz, CA on Thursday February 3 at 7:00 pm. Friends are invited to call at Pacific Gardens Chapel on Thursday from 1:00 pm until service time. A private entombment will follow at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery. Please visit www.pacificgardenschapel.com to sign the online guest book or light a candle for the family. In lieu of flowers contributions are preferred to Santa Cruz High School Athletic Foundation, 415 Walnut Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.