Obituary for Gerardina Di Vito
A caring mother, grandmother, wife and friend.
Gerardina Di Vito (nee Marzullo) of Clifton, NJ, passed away on July 5, 2021.
She was born in Aquilonia, Italy, a remote southern Italian town of 2000 people. Gerardina moved to America in 1955 with her parents and six brothers and sisters. She was only 20 when she arrived in the US speaking no English and worked in a flag factory, sewing American flags. She married her husband Gaetano in 1959 and was a devoted, loving wife for 62 years, always by his side, starting a family and building a new life together in Montclair, New Jersey. Throughout her entire life she was a hard worker, whether in the fields of Aquilonia or the luncheonette and deli that she and Gaetano ran together for many years. Customers travelled from all over to enjoy her authentic Italian specialties.
Gerardina loved flower arranging for friends, family as well as the local church, always having a deep connection with her catholic faith. She very much enjoyed cooking and baking and was at her happiest being with friends and family and meeting new people. She especially loved young children and babies and was full of joy when she became a grandmother, adoring all her grandchildren, doting over them every chance she had. Her natural warmth always made everyone feel welcome and, while she worked hard, she also loved to dance, joke around and have fun.
The last 23 years of her life were difficult, battling Alzheimer’s disease through all its stages; particularly the emotional turmoil in the early years where she could see her ability to interact with others and look after her family, the things she loved most, slipping from her grasp. She fought as hard as she could though in order to experience and contribute to as much of her children and grandchildren’s lives as possible. As is common with this sad disease, there is typically one caregiver that bears most of the burden and in this case it was her daughter, Maria Lena who looked after her tirelessly, returning to her the same love and selflessness that Gerardina gave all her family.
She was the last remaining of all her brothers and sisters and leaves behind her devoted husband, three loving children and six beautiful grandchildren.
Gerardina will be remembered as a giving, loving person, whose warmth was felt by everyone around her. She will be sadly missed.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Feed The Children
FAMILY REQUESTS ALL GUESTS WEAR MASKS
Gerardina Di Vito (nee Marzullo) of Clifton, NJ, passed away on July 5, 2021.
She was born in Aquilonia, Italy, a remote southern Italian town of 2000 people. Gerardina moved to America in 1955 with her parents and six brothers and sisters. She was only 20 when she arrived in the US speaking no English and worked in a flag factory, sewing American flags. She married her husband Gaetano in 1959 and was a devoted, loving wife for 62 years, always by his side, starting a family and building a new life together in Montclair, New Jersey. Throughout her entire life she was a hard worker, whether in the fields of Aquilonia or the luncheonette and deli that she and Gaetano ran together for many years. Customers travelled from all over to enjoy her authentic Italian specialties.
Gerardina loved flower arranging for friends, family as well as the local church, always having a deep connection with her catholic faith. She very much enjoyed cooking and baking and was at her happiest being with friends and family and meeting new people. She especially loved young children and babies and was full of joy when she became a grandmother, adoring all her grandchildren, doting over them every chance she had. Her natural warmth always made everyone feel welcome and, while she worked hard, she also loved to dance, joke around and have fun.
The last 23 years of her life were difficult, battling Alzheimer’s disease through all its stages; particularly the emotional turmoil in the early years where she could see her ability to interact with others and look after her family, the things she loved most, slipping from her grasp. She fought as hard as she could though in order to experience and contribute to as much of her children and grandchildren’s lives as possible. As is common with this sad disease, there is typically one caregiver that bears most of the burden and in this case it was her daughter, Maria Lena who looked after her tirelessly, returning to her the same love and selflessness that Gerardina gave all her family.
She was the last remaining of all her brothers and sisters and leaves behind her devoted husband, three loving children and six beautiful grandchildren.
Gerardina will be remembered as a giving, loving person, whose warmth was felt by everyone around her. She will be sadly missed.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Feed The Children
FAMILY REQUESTS ALL GUESTS WEAR MASKS