Yolanda M. Giuffrida

Yolanda Marie “Yola” Giuffrida passed away on October 28, 2018 at Hospicare in Ithaca, NY. Born in Rochester on August 8, 1927, she was the eldest of the late Mary and Dominic Roncone. She grew up on Portland Avenue and frequently reminisced about playmates who lived in her neighborhood and around the corner on Rosemary Drive. When Yolanda and her family moved across town to Lake Avenue, her local high school was called Jefferson High School. Her love of the Spanish language led her and her cousin Rosalie to attend the more distant Marshall High School, where they had instruction in that language.

Yolanda finished high school at Marshall and went to Denison University in Ohio. She joined a sorority and received a BA in 1949, majoring in Psychology and Sociology. From there, she soon went to LA to live with her friend Emmalou. She took the Civil Service Exam, did well and became a social worker. Her love of Spanish became extremely handy in her social work in California. If you asked Yolanda what she was most proud of, it was going to college and becoming a social worker. She was also immensely proud of her independent move to LA and starting a new life for herself.

A lifelong acquaintance between her mother and the mother of her husband, Dr. Robert Giuffrida, led to their re-introduction in 1964 and their marriage in 1965. They then settled in Corning, NY to raise a family. Yolanda and Robert were a very social couple in Corning. She helped teach preschool, while Robert started his 30-year career teaching languages at Corning Community College. They brought up two daughters and created a wonderful life for the family.

Her gentle spirit and optimism will forever be cherished by her children and grandchildren. Yolanda was pre-deceased by her husband in 1995. After Robert passed, she continued volunteering at Corning Museum of Glass, exercising at the Y and visiting with her grandchildren as frequently as possible.

She is survived by her children, Lisa Bustin (Cary) of Clay, NY and Michelle Cannon (Michael) of Ithaca, NY, and her stepsons, Robert Giuffrida (Barbara) of Malta, NY and David Giuffrida (Laura) of Ridgeway, Ontario. She also leaves to cherish her memory, her brother, Dr. John Roncone, nephews, nieces, cousins and six grandchildren, Eleanor, Frances, Abigail, Nathan, Andrea and Nathaniel.

A celebration of life will be held Friday November 2, 2018 at 3:00 P.M at Bangs Funeral Home. Friends may call from 1:00 to 3:00 P.M. prior to the service.

Memorial donations in Yolanda’s memory can be made to Hospicare in Ithaca or CCC Development Foundation, Robert T. Giuffrida Award for Excellence in Foreign Language Study: In Memory of Yolanda Giuffrida.

Memorial donations can be made to Hospicare of Ithaca (https://www.hospicare.org/) or the following:

Checks made out to:

CCC Development Foundation

Corning Community College

1 Academic Dr.

Corning, NY 14830

Name of the award: Robert T. Giuffrida Award for Excellence in Foreign Language Study: In Memory of Yolanda Giuffrida (include both in memo line of check)

Online donations: https://ccc4380.thankyou4caring.org/donate (please note name of award in Other and 'In Memory of …' in the Comments section of the Additional Information)