Obituary of Danielle Sunday Dimieri

Danielle Sunday Dimieri Obituary

Danielle (Danny) Sunday Dimieri died suddenly after a prolonged illness on October 2, 2023 in Media, Pennsylvania.

Danny was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 18, 1951. She moved to New York City in her later teens and married Philip Klein in Baltimore (1970). He and their daughter Dusty predeceased Danny. She later married Bernard Bernstein and settled in Vermont where Danny worked as a children’s librarian. They had two children – Jeremiah and Abigail. The family moved to Lexington, Massachusetts. Danny and Bernard later divorced.

Danny completed her primary and secondary education at St. Ann’s Academy in Boston. She continued her education while a single parent at Middlesex Community College and later enrolled at Simmons College as a Dix Scholar. She completed her B.A. in Psychology graduating with Distinction in 1992. She was the first and only person in her family to graduate college. Danny continued at Simmons’ Graduate School where she was awarded a Master’s Degree in Social Work in 1994. She was a lifelong learner and attained certifications in Case Management and later in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Danny married Thomas Dimieri in 1999 and honeymooned in Italy where Danny fell in love with all things Italian and returned there many times. They resided in Boston and later moved to Bristol, Rhode Island, and Alexandria, Virginia. After their retirements, they settled in Media, Pennsylvania.

Danny committed her professional work to improving the mental health of young adults most in need – the runaways, the homeless, and those with substance use disorders. She possessed an extraordinary capability in empathizing and in showing compassion to those in need. She provided care in emergency services and for several years maintained a small clinical practice. She was an advocate who set out to empower those she touched. 

She was also responsible for providing case management support at Blue Cross Blue Shield and Advocates in Boston. Her last position was at Kaiser Permanente where she was responsible for managing Kaiser’s mental health services for Northern Virginia.

Many in Danny’s family referred to her by her middle name – Sunday. She was a life source characterized by a positive outlook, a selflessness, and a ‘can do’ attitude. Danny’s spirit was evident in love for her family. She would take any opportunity to come ‘to the rescue’, to plan family gatherings, or to prepare dinner delights (especially lobster or Italian dishes). She was a story teller, a water color artist, and had the most beautiful voice when singing or simply speaking over the phone to a friend or loved one. Her voice, but most of all her spirit, will be missed. Her legacy, however, is in inspiring us to be our better selves as she overcame adversity, withstood life’s turmoil, comforted those in need, and set an example for the importance of family ties.

Her husband Tom, her son Jeremiah, and her daughter Abigail are most fortunate to have had Danny as a core part of their lives. Danny showered her granddaughter Maisy with love and relished any opportunity to be with and care for her. Danny’s family also include her sister Robyn, her cousin Eva, her former husband Bernard, her stepdaughters Lindsay and Emily Coleman, her long-time close friend Marie Macdonald, and her in-laws Babe and Dee Dimieri.

Danny was laid to rest at the Dimieri family plot in St. John’s Cemetery, Queens, New York City. Any donations in memory of Danny and her life’s mission to care for children can be made to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Covenant House.