Vera D. (Domenick (DiDomenico)) Cusanelli

Vera D. Cusanelli, 89, passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of her family, on May 14, 2026.  Born on January 17, 1937, in Belleville, New Jersey, a daughter of the late Antonio and Fannie Domenick (DiDomenico).

She met the love of her life when her brother, Tony, brought his Navy buddy, Dominic A. Cusanelli, home for a weekend leave. The angels sang, marriage followed, and Vera moved to Connecticut to begin her new life with her new husband. 

Vera was employed by Sodexo Food Services where she spent a large part of her career cooking for the students and staff at the University of New Haven.  She then went on to care for the students at Forest Elementary School in West Haven as a lunch aide until her retirement.

Vera’s love of the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and her family kept her busy. When she was not watching her favorite teams, she was in the kitchen trying out new recipes from the Food Network.  Vera’s Eggplant Parmigiana, Sunday sauce and meatballs could rival that of any 5-star restaurant. One of her greatest joys was feeding her family!

Vera is survived by daughter Diane (Bill) Bruno; son Dominic (Erin) Cusanelli; grandchildren Domenica “Nici” Bruno, Sofia Cusanelli, Dominic Cusanelli, Jr., and Amber Hill, all of West Haven, and Amanda (Matthew) Morrissey of Watertown, CT; great-granddaughter, Marie Morrissey; sister Mildred Cerami of Belleville, NJ; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.  In addition to her husband of nearly 40 years, she was predeceased by sisters Madeline Bini, Violet Slater, and Lucille Alves; and brothers Anthony Domenick, Gerald DiDomenico and Francis DiDomenico.

The family would like to thank Vera’s care team from Constellation Health Services, especially her caregiver Marsha, and nurse Nicole, for their compassion and support. 

Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, May 20, from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. at the West Haven Funeral Home at the Green.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. in St. John Vianney Church of St. John XXIII Parish. Interment will follow in St. Lawrence Cemetery.

Should you wish to do so, donations in Vera’s memory can be made to St. John XXIII Parish (St. John Vianney campus) building maintenance fund or to the West Haven Animal Shelter.

To share an online message with Vera’s family, please visit our website www.westhavenfuneral.com. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Vera D. (Domenick (DiDomenico)) Cusanelli, please visit our floral store.