Elena Delle Donne

Delle Donne in 2013, photo by Debby Wong/Bigstock.com

Place of Birth: Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.

Date of Birth: September 5, 1989

Ethnicity:
*father – Italian
*mother – English, distant German and Dutch

Elena Delle Donne is an American professional basketball player. She plays for the Washington Mystics of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She has also played for Chicago Sky. She is 6′5″.

Elena is the daughter of Joanie and Ernest Delle Donne, a real estate developer. Her surname is Italian for “of the women.” She is married to Amanda Clifton.

Elena has stated:

My father is 100% Italian and I’m half-Italian.

Elena’s paternal grandfather was Eugene A. Delle Donne (the son of Ernest Delle Donne and Rosalinda “Rose” Mira). Eugene was born in Wilmington, Delaware, to Italian parents, from Olevano Romano, near Rome, Lazio.

Elena’s paternal grandmother was Helen J. Calvarese (the daughter of Francis Calvarese and Josephine Di Menco). Helen was born in Wilmington, Delaware, to Italian parents, from Abruzzo.

Elena’s maternal grandfather was Daniel W. Sixbey (the son of George Lawton Sixbey and Helen Baker Hope). Daniel was born in Takoma Park, Maryland. George was the son of Arthur Warren Sixbey and Mabel L. Helen was the daughter of Daniel Hope and Florence Olivia Baker.

Elena’s maternal grandmother was named Elizabeth Louise.

Sources: Marriage record of Elena’s paternal grandparents, Eugene A. Delle Donne and Helen J. Calvarese – https://familysearch.org

Elena’s paternal grandfather, Eugene A. Delle Donne, on 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Elena’s maternal grandfather, Daniel W. Sixbey, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Obituary of Elena’s maternal grandfather, Daniel W. Sixbey – http://www.legacy.com

Marriage record of Elena’s maternal great-grandparents, George Lawton Sixbey and Helen Baker Hope – https://familysearch.org

Elena’s maternal great-grandmother, Helen Baker Hope, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org