Leonora Dugan

SOUTHBURY - Leonora Dugan, 73, departed this life on February 17, 2022. She was the beloved wife of Ronald Dugan for 51 beautiful years. Leonora was born in the Bronx, NY on May 21, 1948 to the late Leo and Theresa (Scarola) Orifici. Leonora is survived by her husband Ronald Dugan; her daughter Jennifer Colonese; her son Ryan and daughter-in-law Jennifer Dugan; sister Linda DeGuisto and her husband Ed; brother Joseph Orifici and his wife Sue; five beloved grandchildren Gavin, Ian, Jack, William and Samantha; and numerous nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews. Lee leaves behind an extensive community of friends and family who have loved and supported her over her lifetime. She has been blessed and always grateful for the friends who became her extended family during her 45 years residence in Southbury. 

Lee was born and raised in the boroughs of New York but her parents moved the family to Long Island in 1965. Little did she know that this move would change the trajectory of her life. Transferring in as a senior at Half Hollow High School, she attended her first basketball pep rally with one of her new friends, Barbara Hughes. That game, she turned to Barbara and pointed to the home team's number 10 player saying, "I am going to marry him!" Lee and Ron graduated high school in 1966 as high school sweethearts. Although Ron went away to college and Lee attended college locally, their love and romance thrived. Upon graduating college, Ron returned home, and they were married in 1971. 

Lee recognized the bountiful blessings in her life. She always had a close relationship with her siblings and with her late mother Theresa, who was also one of her best friends. Growing up in an Italian home, Lee shared stories of cooking and laughing with her family every Sunday. As a mother, Lee recreated these memories, making her famous meatballs and sauce for her own children. Family, and friends who became family, were at the core of the life she and Ron created together. 

She and her devoted husband Ron traveled extensively during their retirement. However, equally memorable were their annual North Carolina beach vacations with their children, and then later their grandchildren. When she was younger, she enjoyed spending her summers tending her gardens. For Lee and Ron, life was about the everyday celebrations, the games with her bridge group, the dinners with their friends, and the parties they hosted for their neighbors. As a result, her absence and the void created will be felt by so many. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, February 28, 2022 at 11:00 AM at Sacred Heart Church, 910 Main Street South in Southbury. The family invites all guests to join them after the mass for a Celebration of Lee's Life at Julio's Restaurant in Southbury, CT. The Carpino Funeral Home of Southbury has been entrusted with the arrangements. To leave a message of remembrance, please visit www.CarpinoCares.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital at http://giftfunds.stjude.org/leonora-dugan-donations.

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