Dolores Catania shared a throwback clip from The Real Housewives of New Jersey of boyfriend Paul “Paulie” Connell‘s late mom, Claire, as she announced her death on Instagram.
After Paulie was left reeling over the tragic loss of his beloved mother, who made her Bravo debut amid the cast’s season 13 trip to Ireland, Dolores, 53, reflected on her love for Claire as she posted a clip from the show. Her castmates also weighed in.
“She stole all our hearts … It was an honor and a blessing to have known such a beautiful woman with a heart of gold and an unwavering faith. Rip Claire heaven has gained an angel … we will miss you xoxo,” Dolores wrote in the caption of her April 8 post.
Paulie also honored his mom, sharing a couple of photos of her on his own page.
“Oh Mam, no more calls no more trips for us, well one more. Back to the man himself. He gets his wish now and we can’t be selfish … I am beyond devastated to feel that I will never be able to be with you again and see your cheeky smile or listen to one of our favorite [stories] that we talked about a hundred times over,” Paulie wrote. “I will never let that last hug go we had.”
According to Paulie, he knew that his mom was nearing the end of her life during their last visit with one another, but he felt “unprepared” and “beyond devastated” by her passing.
“[I] will do as you would wish, and as you would say, ‘Ask the sacred heart to watch over you’ … well now I will ask him to watch over you [and] dad on your new journey together,” he concluded.
In the comments section of Paulie’s post, he was met with love and support from Dolores, whom he began dating in late 2021, and their RHONJ castmates.
“I fell in love with your beautiful mom first,” Dolores revealed. “She was an amazing woman leaving behind a beautiful legacy of selfless love, caring, and always a lot of laughter. She loved u enough to last a lifetime [Paul Connell you’re] a true reflection of her in so many ways we were all blessed to have her in our life.”
Jennifer Fessler, 55, applauded Paulie for his “beautiful tribute” and told him he was blessed to have had a great relationship with his mother.
“She made such an impact on all of us in Ireland…so lovely and so funny. Send love my friend!” she added.
Margaret Josephs, 57, said she was “so heartbroken” for Paulie and his loved ones.
“So sorry for your loss. Sending you all so much love. You are all in my thoughts and prayers,” wrote Rachel Fuda, 32.
Danielle Cabral, 38, recalled Claire being “such a [breath] of fresh air” during their time together in Ireland, and Brittany Mattessic described her as “the cutest.”
Meanwhile, Teresa Giudice, 51, also weighed in, sharing three red heart emojis.
