Every Life Remembered
Anthony Previte, owner of Orlando-Donsante-Previte Funeral Home, ensures every life is remembered with honor, dignity, compassion and respect.
Anthony Previte creates an online memorial for the deceased, where family and friends can continue to share memories and thoughtful messages, giving them a space to return to and remember. (Photography: Adrienne Rose)
Just because end of life is one of the most difficult times doesn’t mean it also cannot be meaningful.
At Orlando-Donsante-Previte Funeral Home in Wickliffe, owner Anthony Previte spends time and attention with each funeral to make sure a person’s unique life story is celebrated.
“Every funeral we plan is one of a kind,” he says. “All the details are customized to help people find significance and understanding.”
Whether someone walks through his doors for preplanning services, or unexpectedly after losing a loved one, Anthony’s compassion and patience help them navigate the best path for a life being celebrated and remembered.
What Matters Most
“I ask questions to find out what mattered most to this person,” he says. “Did they love to hunt, fish or golf? Maybe we can incorporate some of those memorabilia into the service. A veteran may be remembered with medals, uniform or other pieces that tell his or her story.”
And there are opportunities to personalize caskets and urns with special touches.
Anthony also brings a life to life through creating a video memorial, which compiles decades of memories through photographs and other images. Played thoughtfully at calling hours or a service, his slideshows take family and friends on a visual journey of that person’s life, from childhood and marriage to vacations, hobbies and everyday moments that became treasured memories.
“Taking the time to get to know families throughout the process is a specialty I’ve honed over the years,” he says. “The planning and execution are important to me as you only have one chance to get this right. This is a milestone life event, like baptism, First Communion or graduation.”
He believes it’s that utmost commitment to personal attention that sets his operation apart from others.
Celebrating a life’s story continues long after the funeral is over.
Anthony creates an online memorial, where family and friends can continue to share memories and thoughtful messages, giving them a space to return to and remember. He also gives families a year of complimentary daily grief-support emails designed to offer encouragement and guidance as they navigate the months following the loss.
“It’s my hope for them to get to a place of healthy closure,” he says.
Honoring the Past
When Anthony purchased the funeral home in 2018, he made a point of preserving its rich legacy.
“I kept the names of those who came before me here as an homage,” he says. “The previous owners are Louis Orlando and his nephews Bruce Orlando and Anthony Donsante. Louis opened the home in 1954, making it one of the first funeral home’s to be built as a funeral home in Lake County.”
Keeping the names was important to Anthony because he possesses a real understanding that legacy matters.
Retaining the stately home’s interior is important as well. Families feel at ease immediately, appreciating the warmth of the surroundings and elegant furnishings. Spacious parlors feature rich wood paneling, artwork and antiques.
“I want families to feel at home here, as if it were an extension of their own home,” he says.
Family remains front and center in his own life, too. He and wife Celeste, and their two children, are active at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Concord Township. He’s also involved with the Wickliffe Italian American Club, Knights of Columbus and Club Molisani Charities.
This real connection to family and community accounts for Anthony’s equally personal connection to the families he serves.
“Yes, a funeral may mark an ending, but it also gathers loved ones to remember everything that came before it—the traditions, laughter and milestones, so they carry their memories forward,” he says.
Orlando-Donsante-Previte Funeral Home
29550 Euclid Avenue,Wickliffe
The Gift of Peace for your Family
Talking about your own funeral might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but Anthony Previte, who has spent his career in funeral homes, says it brings an unexpected sense of comfort and peace of mind.
“People tell me they feel relieved after the planning is done,” he says. “I’ve worked with hundreds of funerals over the years and have experienced firsthand the negative consequences of not letting your family know your final wishes. When a loved one dies, family members are already dealing with monumental grief. Having to make dozens of big and little decisions at this time adds another layer of stress, and in many cases division.”
Preplanning gives you the power to make all those choices in advance, from burial or cremation, casket or urn, to type of service, calling hours and other personal preferences, like flowers and music.
“There’s a financial aspect to this, too,” he says. “With a prepaid funeral contract, families can lock into the cost of funeral services and products at today’s prices, helping protect them from future inflation and rising costs.”
Anthony takes the time to get to know people during the preplanning process, which takes place around a welcoming, family-style dining table within his funeral home.
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