Dolores Frances Gennaro Gonda, 80, of Columbia, died Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at Brookdale Senior Living in Charlotte where she had resided for the past 15 months.

Born January 6, 1937, in Cleveland, Ohio, she was a daughter of the late James Gennaro and Josephine Piscitello Gennaro. As a child, she worked for her father on his produce truck making the rounds to well-to-do customers in the Cleveland suburbs. A few years after graduating high school, she went to work for the Square D Company where she met her future husband, Raymond Gonda. In 1972, the family moved to Columbia, SC, and Dolores found employment with the Richland School District # 2 as a substitute teacher and administrative assistant. She pursued other work opportunities with Cardinal Neumann High School and later with the St. John Neumann Church School, from where she retired as their bookkeeper. Dolores was a devout Catholic; with her husband, they were one of the founding members of St. John Neumann Church.

Dolores was an attentive wife and mother from a large Italian family who, for most of her life, put others before herself. She enjoyed cooking, crafts, and watching court TV; she relished a good joke, had perfect penmanship, and held a secret crush on the actor Errol Flynn.

Survivors include her sons, James Gonda (Karen), and Mark Gonda (Tina); four grandchildren, Andrew, Sarah, Philip, and Marcus. Also surviving are a brother, Carl Gennaro (the late Marge and Maxine); and sisters, Angelia Duchon-Graves (the late Charles and Robert), and Virginia Zangara (the late James). In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her loving husband of 53 years, Raymond; siblings and their spouses, Sarafina Miceli (Angelo), Rose Sontag (William), Mary Dailey (Daniel) and Jack Gennaro (Lana).

The funeral service for Mrs. Gonda will be held 2 o'clock, Saturday, March 11th, at Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, 7600 Trenholm Road Ext, Columbia. Interment will follow in Greenlawn Memorial Park. The family will receive friends Friday evening, from 5 until 7 o'clock at the funeral home.