Williston, Vt. —
If you looked up the meaning of kindness, you’d see a picture of our mom.
For those of you who knew “Yola,” we have little to say that will capture her spirit for life, her pure heart and how she infused us all with kindness.
For those who sadly missed the opportunity to know her during her 91 plus years, we offer part of this recipe for a perfect mother, a best friend, sweetest of grandmothers and great-grandmothers, in hopes that it leaves you with the inspiration to live life better, to do something kind for someone and to say “a few kind words” to someone in your life. Yola had a beautiful life.
Yolanda was the second youngest sister to one brother and four sisters. Born Yolanda Marie DonVito to Joseph and Carmella DonVito on Sept. 2, 1925, and raised in Pittock, Pa. and Akron, Ohio. Yola was raised with, and embodied kindness, manners, politeness and love as her guiding ideals. The only untruthful tale heard told in her life was when she used her brother’s influence as an events usher to sneak her into a show – Frank Sinatra…and we were told it was worth the crime.
Calvin Dean Crosby, known to most as “Bing,” was the lucky man she would marry in 1951, and with her virtue and Calvin’s strength of character, they raised two boys and three girls. Life took them from Akron, Ohio to Windsor, Vt. in 1972 where they found a welcoming and supporting community and the friendship of so many.
Yola embraced us even more with all her love after losing her son, Ronald, in 1977. She communicated to her family and friends with love. With love, she taught us right from wrong, with love she kept us safe, with love she made us strong and with love she left us with wonderful memories of family.
If you were lucky to know Yola, then you likely sat at her table, perhaps while she mixed up something wonderful like her Cinnamon Rolls, her Christmas cookies or her pistachio cake. If you were among those to sit at her table, you surely left with a full belly and a smile on your face. There was always laughter at Yola’s table.
Thoughtful to the end, allowing her children to gather for one last Mother’s day, she died the very next morning on May 15, 2017, to join our father, our brother, her mother and father and all of her siblings, where we are sure she is laughing and perhaps baking in her kitchen again. Yola was never sick, in fact her beautiful heart was beating strong until her last breath. We will miss her here on earth but will always have loving memories of her.
Yola is survived by her children, Debbie and George Hebert of Goshen, N.H., Margie and Ray Dunki-Jacobs of Williston, Tim and Kristin Crosby of Boston, Mass., and Donna and Pete Czajkowski of Granby, Conn.; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
A private mass for family and friends will be held at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Williston on Saturday, June 24 at 11 a.m. On Saturday, July 8, 2017, there will be a private memorial service for family and friends at 10 a.m. in the mausoleum followed by a private family interment at the Northlawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Peninsula, Ohio.
Yola spent years lovingly volunteering with the Mt. Ascutney Hospital Auxiliary, especially the gift shop.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Windsor, Vt. Mt. Ascutney Hospital Auxiliary online at https://www.mtascutneyhospital.org/donate or a check may be mailed to Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center, 289 County Road, Windsor, VT 05089.