May's Donuts - New Castle PA

Clarence May (1912-1971) and his wife Arlowene May (1915-2006), both natives of western New York, opened May’s Donuts at #1225 East Washington Street (shown above) in April 1941. Their homemade donuts came from a recipe developed by Arlowene’s uncle, who operated Jack Frost Donuts in Erie. May’s Donuts was an extremely successful venture and became a landmark on the East Side. (2010)

The May family operated the business for many years. They eventually opened two additional stores, on the Wilmington Road in Neshannock Township and across from Westgate Plaza in Union Township. Due to a lack of dedicated employees these stores were closed in 1997 and 2000 respectively. (1987)

David May (shown above), the oldest son of the Clarence and Arlowene May, and his wife Mary took over management of the business in the 1980’s. Due to a lack of dedicated employees they closed the stores in Union and Neshannock Townships in 1997 and 2000 respectively. In August 2010, after ten months of training and preparation, David May – at the age of seventy – sold the business to Charles Burrelli and his son Michael. Sadly, this transaction ended almost seven decades of ownership by the May family. The revamped business was soon consolidated at a store located at #1707 Wilmington Road, as the original location on East Washington Street was closed in 2012. (2001)