Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania and her boyfriend Paul Connell are mourning the recent death of his mom, Claire. Fans immediately fell in love with Claire when she appearing during Season 13 of RHONJ during a cast visit to Ireland; Paul’s native country.
Following news of her passing, Dolores and Paul each took to Instagram to post tributes to his sweet mother. Sharing memories and photos, they poured out how much Claire meant to them and how much they’ll miss her.
It’s wonderful that Dolores got to meet her future mother-in-law while she visited Ireland and that she was able to share that meeting with her castmates and fans alike. Claire was a special little lady.
“Beyond devasted” at the loss of his mother
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Paulie’s tribute to his mom included an emotional caption that he is “beyond devastated” at the loss of his mother.
“Oh Mam,” he wrote, “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. I will never let that last hug go we had, I know when I seen you last, our time was near but I wasn’t scared. I was just unprepared, beyond devastated and 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. Love you with all my broken heart.”
Dolores shared in the comments section of Paulie’s post just how much his mother had meant to her. “I fell in love with your beautiful mom first,” she wrote. “She was an amazing woman leaving behind a beautiful legacy of selfless love, caring, and always a lot of laughter. She loved [you] enough to last a lifetime. [Paul], you’re a true reflection of her in so many ways. We were all blessed to have her in our life. RIP Claire Xoxox.”
Dolores remembers Paul’s mom, Claire
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In her tribute, Dolores shared her first meeting with Claire and expressed her feelings about her boyfriend’s mother. “She stole all our hearts,” wrote the mom of two. “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. Love always, The Hussy.”
In addition, several of Dolores’ castmates left sweet messages of condolence for Paulie, including Margaret Josephs, Frank Catania, Danielle Cabral, Jenn Fessler, Rachel Fuda, Melissa Gorga, and Teresa Giudice.
