Janet Susan (Restaino) DeMicco

Janet Susan (Restaino) DeMicco, 78, of Cromwell, CT, passed away peacefully on October 5, 2025, after a long journey with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Born July 29, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York, Janet was the daughter of Enrico “Henry” Restaino and Lucia “Lucy” Dolores (Dell’Isola) Restaino. She grew up on Third Street in a close-knit Italian family surrounded by her parents, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Though she later lived in Queens, her heart always remained in Brooklyn.

After she got married, Janet moved from New York to Louisville, Kentucky (where her sons Jim and Mike were born), then to Massachusetts, and finally to Connecticut, where she made her home for nearly four decades.

Janet worked for 20 years in the Government Department at Wesleyan University, where she was an administrative assistant. She loved meeting new students each year and often said that they kept her young at heart. She touched the lives of thousands over the years and formed so many friendships in her time there.

Janet was a fantastic cook and learned the family traditions and recipes from her mother, grandmother, and aunts. She started cooking family dinners at the age of 9, and over the next almost 70 years, she made thousands of incredible meals, often with the opera playing in the background (usually Pavarotti).

Her love for food brought her family together around a table filled with laughter, stories, and traditional Italian dishes. One of her proudest achievements was compiling a family cookbook for the Dell’Isola side of her family, sharing generations of recipes and memories. It remains a cherished treasure among those who contributed to it and all who were lucky enough to taste her cooking.

Janet also inherited her father’s green thumb and found true joy in tending her gardens, filled with both vegetables and flowers. Gardening was more than a hobby; it was a way for her to stay connected to her beloved ‘Pop’ after he passed away. She shared that love with her sons, spending countless hours with them in the garden.

Janet loved the beach, especially Ocean Beach Park in New London, CT, where she spent so many summer weekends with her family. Her final wish was for her ashes to be scattered in Long Island Sound, her favorite place to be.

Janet is survived by her sons Jim DeMicco and his wife Skye of Wolcott, CT, and their children Parker, Chatham, and August; and Mike DeMicco and his wife Melissa of Hamden, CT, and their children Nicholas, Emma, and Samantha. She is also survived by her brother, Henry Restaino, and his wife, Cathy, of Newark, DE, as well as a large and loving extended family of nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws.

Services will be private. Family and friends are invited to visit her next summer at the shore, where she will rest in her favorite place.

Janet will be deeply missed, especially at family dinners around the table, where her presence, stories, and recipes will never be forgotten.

Cromwell Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.  To share memories or send condolences to the family, please visit www.doolittlefuneralservice.com.

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