WINOOSKI — Elveta Cecilia Maietta Brunelle, 90, of Winooski, Vermont, passed away peacefully on August 5, 2026, with her husband, Donald, by her side. The two shared sixty years of marriage built on faith and unwavering love.

Born on November 20, 1935, in Burlington, Vermont, she was the ninth of ten children born to Raffaele and Clementina (D'Agostino) Maietta, Italian immigrants who raised their large family on Rose Street. She graduated from Cathedral High School in 1954.

On September 5, 1966, she married Donald Raymond Brunelle, and together they built a meaningful life and a family. Yet it was who she was in the ordinary hours of daily life that those who loved her will remember most; her way of turning toward the light, undeterred by whatever else the day had brought. Her kindness was genuine and effortless, extending as naturally to strangers as it did to family. She gave her time to her church and community with the same generosity she gave to her family, never asking for anything in return.

She was, above all else, a mother to her own children and, in some quiet way, to everyone who ever spent an afternoon in her home. She was the spiritual center of her family, the one whose faith was not reserved for Sunday mornings but lived out in the way she treated every person who crossed her path. She loved her husband, her children, her grandchildren, and God with her whole heart.

Her Roman Catholic faith was the center of her life. She was a model of faith to all who knew her. She was particularly devoted to the Blessed Mother. She served as a Eucharistic Minister and a group leader for the Charismatic Ultreya, and generously volunteered with the St. Francis Xavier School PTA.

Over the years, she worked at Green Mountain Power, Preston Jewelers, and the Burlington Free Press, and spent more than 30 years building her own Avon sales business. She filled her home with music as an avid pianist, was a championship bowler, loved to cross-country ski, and enjoyed spending afternoons with her friends. She was also a true fashionista, inspiring young and old alike with her love of elegant hats, which became a signature expression of her style and grace.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Donald Raymond Brunelle; her sister, Fran Lovejoy; her many beloved nieces and nephews; her children, Kraig Brunelle and Karlea Brunelle; her daughter-in-law, Miyuki Shijo Brunelle; and her seven grandchildren: Christian Brunelle, Matthieu Brunelle, Jack Joiner, Kraig Brunelle Jr., Kaleb Joiner, Ben Joiner, and Angelina Brunelle.

She was predeceased by her parents, Raffaele and Clementina Maietta, and her siblings, Betty Columbo, Mary Giannone, Frank Maietta, Viola Dillon, Julia Greenough, Joe Maietta, Ralph Maietta, and Patricia Smith.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, September 26 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church in Winooski. Burial will follow in St Francis Xavier Cemetery. In place of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the St. Francis Xavier School Scholarship Fund at 5 St. Peter St., Winooski, VT 05404.

Her legacy is the faith she lived, the family she nurtured, and the countless lives she touched through her quiet kindness and generous spirit.