Clara Belle (Babcock) Diagostino

Clara B. Diagostino, 87, of Seneca Falls and previously of Walls, MS, passed away at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester after a courageous battle with ALS. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 AM on Friday, September 29th, 2023 at St. Patrick's Church, 97 W. Bayard St., Seneca Falls. A private burial will take place at the St. Francis Xavier Cemetery in Marcellus, NY, where she will join her late husband, Herman. The family asks that donations be directed to ALS Foundation Upstate NY Chapter, 35 Old Cove Rd., Suite 213, Liverpool, NY 13090.

Clara was born in East Pharsalia, NY, the daughter of the late Wallace and Clara (Hurlburt) Babcock. She grew up on the family farm in Chenango county and graduated from Afton Central School. After graduation she worked in the library at Cornell University. She married Herman Diagostino on September 14th, 1957 in Ithaca, NY and the couple relocated to the Syracuse area shortly thereafter. Over their marriage the couple ended up living in 10 different states as Herman's career as a computer programmer took them all over the place. Clara found that a career in the insurance industry allowed her the flexibility to find work very easily as they moved from state to state and she enjoyed working with the public. She also loved to travel internationally, and visited many countries in Europe including, Holland, Belgium, England, Israel, Italy, France, and Switzerland just to name a few. Her last move was in 2017 to Seneca Falls to be closer with her son and his family. She also enjoyed bowling, square dancing, and even did a little bit of modelling after she retired from the insurance industry.

Clara is survived by her son, Anthony (Tammi) D'Agostino; granddaughter, Wendy (Matthew) Martin; grandson, Aaron (Caitlin) D'Agostino; great-grandchildren, Vincent, Juna, Ava, Daisy; brothers, Skip (Candace) and Garry Babcock; sisters, Lucy Sherpinskas and Mary Franklin. She was predeceased by her husband Herman in 2015 after 57 years together as well as her brothers, Tom, Butch, Chuck, and Wally Babcock; and sister, Sharon Church.

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