Delores M. (Sita) Zaffini, age 97, a former longtime resident of Mansfield passed away peacefully on Monday, August 17, 2026 at the Alliance at Maples in Wrentham. She was the beloved wife of the late Eleo J. Zaffini, to whom she was wed for twenty-seven years at the time of his death on October 12, 1975.
Born in Mansfield, MA on September 13, 1928, she was the loving daughter of the late Charles, Sr. and Jennie (Conte) Sita.
Del grew up in her hometown of Mansfield and was a 1946 graduate of Mansfield High Sc, where she proudly served as Class Secretary and Treasurer. Prior to retiring, Zaffini worked as an Administrative Assistant at Wheaton College in Norton and had also been employed at the former Foxboro Co. and the former Mansfield Chocolate Factory.
A communicant of Saint Mary’s Church in Mansfield and a former member of the Catholic Women’s Club, Delores, along with her son Donald, were quite instrumental in the dedication of the Lieutenant Albert Sita Memorial on Maple Street in Mansfield. Lieutenant Sita gave his life to protect his country in action during WW II.
Spending time with her adoring family was always Del’s first priority and she treasured the times babysitting her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She also enjoyed gardening, cooking, sewing and entertaining those around her while playing the piano.
She is survived by her devoted children, Donald E. Zaffini and his wife Janet of Plymouth and Jeanette M. Barry and her husband Laurence of North Attleboro. She was the cherished grandmother of Jenna, Rachael and Michael and the great grandmother of Lilly, TJ, Walker, Bryson and Addison. She was the dear sister of the late Leticia LaConte, Lieutenant Albert Sita and Charles Sita, Jr. She is also survived by her much-loved nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend visitation on Saturday August 29th from 9:30-10:30 A.M. at the Sherman & Jackson Funeral Home, 55 North Main Street, Mansfield.
Her Funeral Mass will be held at the conclusion of visitation on Saturday morning at 11:00 A.M. in Saint Mary’s Church, 330 Pratt Street (Route 106) Mansfield. Burial will follow at Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Mansfield.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Delores’s memory may be made to the Mansfield Historical Society, 53 Rumford Avenue, Mansfield, MA 02048 or the Garden Club of Mansfield, P.O. Box 1397, Mansfield, MA 02048
To send her family a message of condolence, please visit www.shermanjackson.com