Betty A. Chiarella

Betty A. (Falis) Chiarella, 71, lifelong resident of Danbury, passed away after a brief illness on May 11, 2024, surrounded by her loving family. She was born on September 13, 1952, to George and Helen (Gaylord) Falis.

Betty attended St Peter’s School in Danbury where she met her husband in 7th grade, Philip Chiarella. The two later married on November 25, 1972. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2022 with a weekend getaway with their children and grandchildren, a Thanksgiving to remember always. Betty began her career at Danbury Hospital when she was 20 years old and remained there until her retirement in 2021. She worked her way up from being a Ward Clerk to the role of Purchasing Coordinator for the Laboratory, a position that perfectly suited her meticulous attention to detail. Her work ethic, and ability to juggle many tasks at once was a benefit to all those she worked with for 48 years. Betty made many special friends during her time at Danbury Hospital, most especially “the girls in the Lab”.

More than anything, Betty loved her family, and her main purpose in life was to provide for their happiness and health, often sacrificing her own needs for theirs. She loved being “Nana” to her grandchildren with all her heart, and proudly attended every sporting game, musical concert, awards ceremony, and graduation. Her hobbies included watching Jeopardy with Phil each night, trips to the mall where she loved to shop for others, hosting holidays at her perfectly decorated dining room table, family vacations to the New Jersey coast, and later to the beaches of Cape Cod. She and Phil also enjoyed their standing “date night” at John’s Pizza each week, where she made many friends over the years.

Betty is not only survived by her husband, Phil, but also their children; Kathleen D’Autorio (Michael) and Joshua Chiarella (Julia Supple), and her two grandchildren; Audrey and Ian D’Autorio. She is also survived by her nephew, Adam Falis. She is preceded in death by her siblings Linda (Falis) Elder and William Falis, as well as her parents.

Services will be held in private at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Foundation for Women’s Cancer (https://foundationforwomenscancer.org/support-us/donate/) or to Ann’s Place (https://www.annsplace.org/donate)

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Betty A. Chiarella, please visit our floral store.