Harriett Lillian DeStefano

Harriett Lillian DeStefano passed away Friday night, May 15th of 2026. The middle daughter of Charles and Lillian Femmel, Harriett was born on December 2, 1933 in Glendale, NY.

As a child, Harriett’s interests included dancing, reading and her family. Along with her family, Harriett spent her summers in Smallwood, NY. It was there that she met Bob (Robert) DeStefano at the age of fourteen. Their friendship blossomed into a relationship that would last sixty three years. Harriett attended St. Barbara High School for two years before transferring to Bishop McDonnell High School. After graduating from Bishop McDonnell, Harriett went to work and enjoyed going out dancing with Bob’s twin brother Richard while Bob was enlisted in the United States Air Force.

Bob and Harriett were married on June 12, 1954 and moved to South Carolina while Bob finished his service in the Air Force. The newlyweds settled once again in Glendale, NY and began building their lives and their family. Harriett volunteered as a seamstress for musical productions at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Glendale but her focus was always on raising her growing family. In 1976, the family moved to Ann Arbor, MI for Bob’s job. As the children grew, so did Bob’s career and in 1983, the family moved once again to Lombard, IL. While in Lombard, Harriett became an active member of the Butterfield Women’s Club, eventually serving as president. In 1990, Bob and Harriett moved to Placentia, CA. Their expanded family, which now included grandchildren, enjoyed the southern California lifestyle of beaches and theme parks but Harriett and Bob missed being closer to family. They chose to retire to New Port Richey, FL to continue to enjoy the warm weather and beach lifestyle while being closer to family. Later in life, Bob and Harriett enjoyed frequent visits with their children and grandchildren. Moving to Bayonet Point, FL in 2005, Bob and Harriett continued to have an active retirement, playing bocce with local friends, visiting family in New York, Michigan and Illinois and spending their summers where they met at the family summer home in Smallwood, NY.

Harriett is preceded in death by her father Charles Femmel, mother Lillian Femmel, father-in-law Dante DeStefano, mother-in-law Rose DeStefano, husband Robert (Bob) DeStefano, brother-in-law Richard DeStefano, brother-in-law Edward (Eddie) Jefferson and brother-in-law Martin (Marty) White. She is survived by her sisters Eileen White (Northport, NY) and Judith Jefferson (Stamford, CT); sister-in-law Maria DeStefano (Staten Island, NY); children Thomas DeStefano (Howard Beach, NY), Michael DeStefano (Rego Park, NY), Gayle Auer and her husband Tommy Auer (Holbrook, NY), Susan Hawthorne (Oak Park, IL), Robert F.

DeStefano (Bayonet Point, FL), John DeStefano and his wife Jamie DeStefano (Maple Park, IL), Deidre Krause and her husband Kevin Krause (DeWitt, MI), Janet DeStefano (Bayonet Point, FL) and David DeStefano (Atlanta, GA); grandchildren Denise Avignone (Mt. Sinai, NY), Karen Auer (Chesterton, IN), Dylan Hawthorne (Lansing, MI), Ian Hawthorne (Evanston, IL), Danielle Clark (Bloomfield Hills, MI), Jenna Krause (Royal Oak, MI), Nick Krause (DeWitt, MI), Riley Krause (Traverse City, MI) and Hannah Carlson (Hinckley, IL); plus their spouses, fiancées and six great-grandchildren.