Denise Pane

Denise Pane, age 57, of Fairfield CT passed away on February 7th peacefully in her daughter’s arms after being surrounded by loved ones in the days prior.

Born on September 1st,1968, Denise was the oldest of her siblings, survived by Michelle and Andrew. She grew up on Long Island in a first-generation household with parents that immigrated from Germany.

While she earned her degree in accounting, Denise was always growing a new business on the side. Over time, she turned her knack for selling and passion for jewelry creation into her lifelong career. She would take trips to NYC to scout out new wholesale pieces, spend hours researching latest fashion trends and created her own ways to showcase and sell her jewelry. During the pandemic, she took the opportunity to shift her business model to an online storefront – learning new editing tools, selling platforms and developing new strategies to recreate her business. She spent countless hours listing, selling and packing her jewelry but to her it never felt like work – she was genuinely excited and happy to get up and have the opportunity to do her job every day. She was an entrepreneur in every sense of the word.

Denise was full of life, happiness, and fun. Outside of her job, which was both her passion and her work, Denise filled her life with all that made her happy. She enjoyed spending time with her girlfriends, talking for hours over wine or French martinis. She was always ready for a trip to Mohegan Sun and often had luck on her side. In recent years, Denise took up swimming and created a network of friends at her swim classes. She has always had a passion for travel, seeing the world and experiencing new things wherever she went. In 2024 she took a solo 2-week European cruise, experienced Oktoberfest in Germany and went on 3 additional cruises that year alone. Denise lived life to the fullest and was happiest when she was enjoying it together with her friends and family.

Denise is survived by her daughter Christina (Pane) Kayal and her husband Stephan Kayal, her partner Kevin O’Brien, her mother Christa Velez, her siblings Michelle Bifolco and her husband Anthony Bifolco, Andrew Velez and his wife Melissa Velez, Candido Jr. Velez and his wife Maribel Velez, Marvin Velez and his wife Margie Velez, Kelvin Velez and his husband Thomas Diverno, Marilyn Lozada, and Maicy Velez, her nieces and nephews Nicholas, Justin, and Adriana Bifolco, Jessica, Julie, and Ivy Velez, and her beloved girlfriends Tone Lislevand, Diane Pane, and Laura Piergiovanni. She is predeceased by her father, Gunther Hattendorf.

Friends and family may visit the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Rd., Fairfield on Friday, February 13 from 11am-1pm. A celebration of life ceremony will be held at 1pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Denise’s name to St. Vincent’s Swim Across the Sound. This foundation provides vital funds for cancer patients in the Fairfield Region to cover essential living expenses. The Swim helped Denise when she was going through her treatment and she’s been an active volunteer since.

Donations can be made at: St. Vincent’s Swim Across the Sound. Select “Oncology Patient Assistance – Swim Across The Sound Fund” as where you would like the donation to be directed.