10/25/2026
To our department family, friends, and community,
It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of our Auxiliary President, Donielle Jensen Cataffo.
Donielle gave 14 years of selfless service to our Auxiliary, serving as its president for the last 10. Those years represent so much time, hard work, and care given to our department, our families, our friends, and this community.
For the past decade, Donielle, the Auxiliary, and I worked together to plan our events. From planning our 100th anniversary dinner, honoring Chief Fred Colley, Linda Cupo, and Lois Robb, to our radio bingos, card parties, raffles, Easter egg hunts, Ragamuffin parades, installation dinners, and the community calendar, we shared years of planning, teamwork, and memories.
Donielle held all of us to a higher standard. Our department, our events, and me personally. She cared about what we did and how we did it. She wanted things done right. And she had no problem putting any of us in our place when we needed it. She pushed us to do better, pay attention to the details, and put the care into our events that our community deserved. I will always be grateful for that.
When people attend an event, they see the finished result. What they don’t always see are the conversations, the back and forth, the bickering, the preparations, and countless details that come before it. Donielle and I shared 10 years of that work, and those are memories I will carry with me. It is difficult to imagine planning our next event without her.
The Auxiliary she helped lead grew out of Hurricane Sandy. Donielle was the glue that held it together, and so much of its success came from her dedication and leadership. She and our Auxiliary members put years of hard work into supporting this department and our community. Together, they raised funds that helped keep our department ready to serve, brought families and friends together, and kept community traditions going. And they had fun doing it.
Donielle knew what this department meant to our community, and she really wanted everyone to know it too. She made sure the community understood what we do, and she made sure we heard what the community had to say. As Donielle said, “What is Gerritsen Beach without the Vollies?” For her, it was a family thing too. Her father was a member. Her sister is the “CEO,” as we like to joke. Her brother and her whole family have always been there for this department.
Looking back through the years, I am reminded of how often I tried to thank Donielle for helping make all of this possible. Those words carry even more meaning today. So much of what we accomplished together would not have been possible without her.
Donielle will be missed by the whole community. Her work touched people far beyond the firehouse, and her absence will be felt by the many families, friends, and neighbors who shared in these events and traditions.
On behalf of all our members, officers, leadership, and Auxiliary, I extend our deepest condolences to Donielle’s family, friends, and everyone throughout our neighborhood who knew and worked with her. All of us at the Gerrittsen Beach Fire Department share in your sorrow and are keeping you in our hearts.
Donielle, thank you for your leadership, your friendship, your dedication, and the 14 years you gave to our department family and community. Thank you for making us better. We will carry the memories and the standard you set with us.
We know you would want us to keep going, and we will. We’ll do our best to carry on the work you cared so much about.
Rest easy, Donielle. We’ve got it from here. We’re going to miss you.
Funeral arrangements:
Friday, November 6, 2026
10:30 a.m. Mass at Resurrection Church
St. Charles Cemetery to follow
3:00 p.m. Gathering at the Cort Club
Daniel Cavanagh
Chief of Department
Gerrittsen Beach Fire Department
