Laurene Karen (Palacino) Dempsey

Laurene Karen (Palacino) Dempsey, 75, passed away on Friday, November 21, 2025 from complications of endometrial cancer and type II diabetes.  She died at home surrounded by her husband Dennis and two sons Daniel and Patrick who survive her.  She is also survived by her brother Richard,  nephew Joseph, and niece Michelle.  

Laurene was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Emily (Conti) Palacino and Angelo Palacino on July 8, 1950.  While Laurene held multiple positions as an electronics assembly and repair technician over her career, her true vocation was to be a stay-at-home mom.  She married Dennis on May 2, 1981.   A devout and faithful Catholic, she emphasized the importance of hard work and doing your best in her parenting, but above all else, doing what is right.  She loved being around family and food, and was an amazing cook overall, but was especially adept at baking desserts.  She loved Christmas, the color red, the natural beauty of seasons in Maine, and keeping apprised of events throughout her large and geographically dispersed extended family.  She always had a great appreciation of music and the arts.  Her voice was her best instrument, and she sometimes volunteered in the choir at the parishes where she worshiped, and dabbled in different types of crafting projects in her spare time. 

Despite her introverted personality outside of family, her unique mix of saintly empathy, capacity for forgiveness, strong will, and an almost childlike wonderment made an undeniable impression on everyone who took the time to get to know her.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?sc_icid=header-btn-donate-now

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