Danielle Marie Coletta
Danielle Marie Coletta, a sixth-grade English teacher at Mildred E. Strang Middle School in Yorktown, died unexpectedly on Feb. 22 with her family holding her hands. She was 48.
Coletta was born Jan. 11, 1973. She attended George Washington Elementary School in Mohegan Lake, Copper Beech Middle School and Walter Panas High School in Cortlandt. She graduated from Pace University in Pleasantville with a bachelor’s degree in education and Western Connecticut University where she received a master’s degree in education.
She will be remembered for her devotion to the teaching profession. Her career began at Columbus Elementary School in Hawthorne, teaching second grade, followed by many years at Brookside Elementary School in Yorktown as a third-grade teacher. She was a lover of animals and spent many years of service volunteering for H.E.A.R.T., PACT and Guiding Eyes for the Blind. She loved horseback riding, and while attending Pace University, was a member of the equestrian team.
Coletta excelled in her knowledge of computers and was considered by her family to be their resident “geek.” While at Brookside, she was one of the first teachers to make use of the SMART Board in her room and then began mentoring her colleagues on ways to make special use of it. She was always taking classes to broaden her knowledge of various technologies and then incorporating them into her classroom. She was a loving, caring, giving and friendly individual. She will be missed by all.
Coletta is survived by her parents, Susann and Joseph Coletta; her brother, John, his wife, Jill and their children Aidan, Ethan and Jack Coletta; her three sisters, Kristin, her husband, Charles and their children Janna, Kailee and Madison Di Vico, Lianne and husband Edward Navedo and Jaclyn, her husband, Dustin and children Cameron and Carter Lucas; and by many loving cousins and friends.
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