Shpresa "Hope" Lano

Shpresa “Hope” (Verdi) Lano, 97, of Vernon, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Born on March 4, 1929, in Worcester, Massachusetts, she was the daughter of Lazar D. and Marianthi (Vreto) Verdi. A graduate of Commerce High School, class of 1946B, Hope set aside her own plans after her mother’s death that same year to honor her final wish: to care for her younger siblings, who were then just 10, 7, and 3. She devoted several years to raising them, a promise she kept without regret.

In 1958, she married the love of her life, Spiro G. Lano. Together they had two sons, James and Christopher. While raising her boys and continuing to guide her siblings into adulthood, Hope created a warm and welcoming home. In 1967, the family moved to Vernon, Connecticut, where she would live for the rest of her life. There she continued raising her sons, maintained the household, and later worked part-time in clerical and retail positions. She eventually became a Records Clerk for the Vernon Police Department, serving in that role until her retirement in 1986.

Hope was a devoted grandmother to her three grandchildren, Nicholas, Gregory, and Nathan, remaining actively involved in their lives from their births until her passing. She cherished close friendships with her neighbors, who looked out for one another through the years. An accomplished seamstress, she also enjoyed crocheting, knitting, and gardening.

She leaves behind her two sons, James L. Lano and his wife Ketrin of Nottingham, New Hampshire, and Christopher S. Lano of Vernon; her three grandchildren, Nicholas J. Lano and his wife Jane Bugbee Lano of Hamden, Gregory B. Lano and his wife Michelle Harding Lano of Tolland, and Nathan S. Lano of Nottingham, New Hampshire; her two great-grandchildren, Claire O. Lano and Henry S. Lano; and her three siblings, Sylvia L’Abbe of Leicester, Massachusetts, Dorothy Fotos of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and Stephan P. Verdi of Elverson, Pennsylvania, as well as many nieces, nephews, and their families. In addition to her husband Spiro, she was predeceased by her parents and her brother, Arthur L. Verdi.