Carolann (Ritacco) Mancinelli

Carolann (Ritacco) Mancinelli, a longtime resident of Keene NH, passed away, after a brief illness, surrounded by her children and family, early evening on Saturday, May 17 2025, just two days before her 85th birthday.

Carolann was born in Worcester, MA, the daughter of Paul and Mary (Zukauskas) Ritacco, and raised on Suffolk Street. Carolann then married and moved to Keene N.H., where she raised six children. Her Catholic faith was ever-present, and she cared for her family with much love and devotion, while running her own landscaping business, CAM Enterprises. Carolann always kept herself productive and busy, enjoying a variety of different jobs over the years, and later in life she found satisfaction working as a caregiver for people with physical and mental impairments.

For many years, Carolann raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) through sponsored running events, and collecting donations from area businesses. For several years, she was part of the annual televised Labor Day MDA telethon due to the amount of money she raised. Sadly, she herself would later develop MD and bravely lived with it for many years. She loved gardening and spent many hours out in her flower gardens, which were frequently admired by people passing by. She also loved to watch her beloved Celtics and Patriots, to play bingo, and read. Carolann was ever-present at all her children’s school sporting activities, and later enjoyed watching her grandchildren play sports whenever she could. Her fondest moments were those spent with her family around her on special occasions and holidays. Carolann battled several health challenges in her later years, but her faith never waned, and her devotion to family remained strong. Those who knew Carolann will remember her humor and candor, her notoriously strong will, and how she valued honesty and hard work over pretentiousness. She was a force of nature, who loved her family ferociously to the very end, as they gathered around her to say goodbye, to thank her for the work ethic she passed on to them, and to tell her they loved her.

Carolann lives on in the six children she cherished: Ralph “RJ” Mancinelli of Keene, NH; David Mancinelli and his wife Jennifer of Newton, NH; Joseph Mancinelli and his wife Laurie of Plastow, NH; Paul Mancinelli and his wife Bianca of Croton-on-Hudson, NY; Kimberly Hough and her husband Ian of Ellington, CT; and Lisa LaClair and her husband Russell of Richmond, NH.  She is survived by eleven grandchildren, whom she adored and frequently showered with presents on birthdays and Christmases, and visited whenever she could: Justin and Joshua Mancinelli (and Joshua’s wife, Miki); Joey and Juliana Mancinelli; Chiara (and her husband, Alex), Dante, and Lucia Mancinelli; Zara, Astrid, and Francis Hough; and Mason LaClair (and his fiancée, Julia). Carolann is also fondly remembered by her brother, Francis Ritacco, and his wife Joyce of Sutton, MA. She also leaves behind a great-grandchild expected in July, cousins, nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

A period of calling hours will be held Friday, May 23, from 11 am to 12 noon followed by a prayer service in the Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel, 370 Plantation St., Worcester, MA, 01605. Burial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial remembrances in her name can be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, www.mda.org.