Stella Concetta (Caputo) Conte passed away on Thursday, April 23, 2026. Her relatives and friends are invited to attend her memorial service on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 10am at Somerby Independent Living in Mt. Pleasant, SC. Stella will be interred with her husband at a later date in Altoona, PA. 

Stella was born in Juniata, Pennsylvania on July 15, 1927 to Martin and Evelyn Caputo, their only child. Surviving a childhood bout of typhoid fever that left her nearly sightless in one eye, she excelled in school and participated in many extracurricular activities, among them editing her high school newspaper. At her graduation from Altoona High School she was co-valedictorian. She went on to study nursing and graduated from the Altoona Hospital school of nursing.

Wishing to advance her knowledge and see the world, she moved to New York City to study and work at the Rockefeller Institute. It was in New York that she met the love of her life, Edward. Ed and Stella were married on September 13, 1952. They moved to a few locations on Long Island eventually settling in Hicksville, NY. There she raised three sons, Steve, Jeff and Dan. In addition to the usual household duties and dealing with her children’s shenanigans, she continued her nursing work part time.

Always devout and active in the Catholic Church, Stella found spiritual rebirth and great joy in the Charismatic movement. A long time member of the Holy Family prayer group, she became interested in inner healing and studied at the School for Spiritual Growth and Inner Healing, eventually becoming certified in spiritual direction. She also became a third order Carmelite.

Stella and Ed spent many years meeting the challenges of raising three boys and helping them take their place in the world. Eventually they experienced the joy of grandchildren, who always looked forward to spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Conte. After Ed’s retirement, Stella and Ed took to the road, sharing many adventures, camping and visiting friends. They took many extended trips down south in “The Tin Turtle”, their modest camper van.

After more than fifty years, Stella and Ed said goodbye to their home on Long Island and relocated to Somerby Senior Living in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Stella immediately became an active member of the community there, participating in many activities and welcoming new and potential residents. It was at Somerby that Stella combined her nursing skills with her love for her husband to lighten the burden of Ed’s failing health, allowing him to spend his last days with her in their home with all his needs cared for.

Stella continued to be an active member of the church and her community. She rode her bicycle and eventually her tricycle well into her nineties and was a formidable Mah-Jong and nearly unbeatable Scrabble player to the end. As her health declined, Stella moved to the assisted living section of Somerby. The frustration of her physical limitations was mitigated by the caring staff, visits from old friends and the loving attention of her closest friend, Laura Smith, who brought so much light and joy to those difficult days.

She is survived by her three sons Steven (Rachael), of Edisto Beach SC, Jeffrey, of Athens GA, and Daniel (Dorothy), of Orland ME, Grandchildren Matthew, Elizabeth (Drew), Peter, Justine, Paul (Joy), Martin and Edward, and Great Grandchildren Lily, Opal and Milo; generations of nieces and nephews, her dear friend Laura Smith and many friends and acquaintances

A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com