Obituary of Stella Maria Hartel

Stella Maria Palmieri Hartel, age 90, of Trumbull, beloved wife of the late Michael D. Hartel, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 3, 2024, listening to Luciano Pavarotti's rendition of Rigoletto in the comfort of her home surrounded by her loving family. Born on September 1, 1933 in Ravena, New York, she was a daughter of the late Stefano and Annunzia Nunziata Palmieri.

Stella's first love was opera music. At the age of 15 she was selected by WRGB Schenectady to perform on their weekly talent show singing Gilbert & Sullivan songs. She went on to win a scholarship and study opera in Italy and then embarked on a singing tour of Europe and America. She performed with various opera companies which included performing for Pope John Paul II with the Bel Canto Chorus in 1978. Stella continued singing throughout her life but focused the next few decades on raising her three children and teaching them to cook and to appreciate music and art. Stella was a mother like no other and she will be missed by everyone who knew her.

Survivors include her three loving children, Jennifer Blosser and her husband Joel, Christopher Hartel and Michael Hartel and his wife Tina, six cherished grandchildren, Melina, Eric, Olivia, Charlie, Sawyer and Wyatt, as well as several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her siblings, Raphaela, Josephine, Madeline, Rose, Mary, Louis, Francis and Dominic.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. directly in St, Theresa Church, 5301 Main St., Trumbull. Interment will follow in St. John's Cemetery, Monroe. Relatives and friends may greet the family on Friday from 4 – 7 p.m. at the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Rd., Trumbull.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Stella's name to the Skylight Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin   www.skylightmusictheatre.org To leave an online condolence please visit www.abriola.com