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Services
Friends may visit with the family from 4-8 PM on Monday, Nov. 16, 2015 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held at 10 AM on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the funeral home.
Burial will be in Glendale Cemetery, Bloomfield.
Alfonse J. Strumolo, age 86, of East Stroudsburg, PA and formerly of Wayne, died peacefully at home on Friday, November 13, 2015.
He was born and raised in Newark, NJ in the North Ward. The oldest of his parents Peter and Mildred Strumolo’s five sons, he graduated from Newark’s Barringer High School with the Class of 1947 where, being a proficient and enthusiastic trumpet player in the school’s band, he was voted “most musical”. In addition to playing in high school, Al would go on to play in a number of jazz bands during the 1940’s and someday play his trumpet at his grandson’s wedding.
After high school, Al sought further education at Seton Hall University. He majored in Education and graduated in 1951.
Al met his beloved wife Nancy Mazzuca when he was in college and working in a band at the Community Center for extra money. She spied Alfonse and asked a guy friend to subtly introduce them. The friend walked up to Alfonse and said “this is Nancy” and walked away. Their first date was to Nancy’s family home to teach Alfonse to dance. They fell in love and it only took three years for Alfonse to propose marriage. He asked her to marry him in June and in October enlisted in the US Army Infantry where he served in Korea. They married on March 23, 1952 at Saint Michael’s Church in Newark and had a three day honeymoon in New York City.
Their first home was 119 19th Street in East Orange. Their second home was 126 Beech Street in Nutley where they lived for five years. Their third home was 7 West William Street in Lincoln Park, and the fourth was 53 Burnside Place in Wayne where they raised their family. Their fifth home was in East Stroudsburg where they spent twenty-eight years before returning to Wayne in December of 2011. In 2012, after Nancy’s passing, Al moved back to East Stroudsburg to be with his daughter Lorraine.
Al enjoyed a teaching career as a physical education instructor with his hometown; the Newark Public School System. Newly married and fresh out of the US Army, he took his first job with Miller Street Grammar School where he taught for several years before moving to the South 17th Street Grammar School.
Al used to say that he loved spending his free time doing whatever Nancy wanted to do. His joy was family – being with his wife, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and siblings. He loved having them over to swim in the family’s pool or to play family games like Rummikub and canasta. It was nothing for he and Nancy to throw a party at the drop of a hat with fifty to a hundred people in attendance. With Al being one of five kids and Nancy being one of fifteen, it’s no surprise that most of the people at the party were family.
Al loved all sports but his greatest passion was watching college football and basketball in particular. You could ask him any question about college teams and he’d have an answer. He also enjoyed listening to marching bands – especially the Caballeros.
Al’s faith in God defined him as a person. He was very active in Brookdale Baptist Church of Bloomfield where he especially enjoyed bible studies and hosted them often in his home.
Alfonse was the loving husband of Nancy who passed away in 2012; devoted father of Diane Markley and her late husband Walter (2015) of Riverdale, Peter Strumolo and his wife Maribeth of Wayne, Detective Sergeant Alfonse Strumolo of Riverdale, Ralph Strumolo and his wife Donna of Jefferson, and Lorraine Penton of East Stroudsburg, PA; cherished grandfather of twelve grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Al's honor toward construction of Chilton Hospital's new Pediatric Center. This will be part of the same fundraising effort in honor of Alfonse's son-in-law, the late Walter A. Markley II. To make a donation please visit: www.crowdrise.com/inmemoryofalphonsejs/fundraiser/.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from 4-8 PM on Monday, Nov. 16, 2015 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held at 10 AM on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the funeral home.
Burial will be in Glendale Cemetery, Bloomfield.
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 4-8 PM on Monday, Nov. 16, 2015 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held at 10 AM on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the funeral home.
Burial will be in Glendale Cemetery, Bloomfield.
Alfonse J. Strumolo, age 86, of East Stroudsburg, PA and formerly of Wayne, died peacefully at home on Friday, November 13, 2015.
He was born and raised in Newark, NJ in the North Ward. The oldest of his parents Peter and Mildred Strumolo’s five sons, he graduated from Newark’s Barringer High School with the Class of 1947 where, being a proficient and enthusiastic trumpet player in the school’s band, he was voted “most musical”. In addition to playing in high school, Al would go on to play in a number of jazz bands during the 1940’s and someday play his trumpet at his grandson’s wedding.
After high school, Al sought further education at Seton Hall University. He majored in Education and graduated in 1951.
Al met his beloved wife Nancy Mazzuca when he was in college and working in a band at the Community Center for extra money. She spied Alfonse and asked a guy friend to subtly introduce them. The friend walked up to Alfonse and said “this is Nancy” and walked away. Their first date was to Nancy’s family home to teach Alfonse to dance. They fell in love and it only took three years for Alfonse to propose marriage. He asked her to marry him in June and in October enlisted in the US Army Infantry where he served in Korea. They married on March 23, 1952 at Saint Michael’s Church in Newark and had a three day honeymoon in New York City.
Their first home was 119 19th Street in East Orange. Their second home was 126 Beech Street in Nutley where they lived for five years. Their third home was 7 West William Street in Lincoln Park, and the fourth was 53 Burnside Place in Wayne where they raised their family. Their fifth home was in East Stroudsburg where they spent twenty-eight years before returning to Wayne in December of 2011. In 2012, after Nancy’s passing, Al moved back to East Stroudsburg to be with his daughter Lorraine.
Al enjoyed a teaching career as a physical education instructor with his hometown; the Newark Public School System. Newly married and fresh out of the US Army, he took his first job with Miller Street Grammar School where he taught for several years before moving to the South 17th Street Grammar School.
Al used to say that he loved spending his free time doing whatever Nancy wanted to do. His joy was family – being with his wife, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and siblings. He loved having them over to swim in the family’s pool or to play family games like Rummikub and canasta. It was nothing for he and Nancy to throw a party at the drop of a hat with fifty to a hundred people in attendance. With Al being one of five kids and Nancy being one of fifteen, it’s no surprise that most of the people at the party were family.
Al loved all sports but his greatest passion was watching college football and basketball in particular. You could ask him any question about college teams and he’d have an answer. He also enjoyed listening to marching bands – especially the Caballeros.
Al’s faith in God defined him as a person. He was very active in Brookdale Baptist Church of Bloomfield where he especially enjoyed bible studies and hosted them often in his home.
Alfonse was the loving husband of Nancy who passed away in 2012; devoted father of Diane Markley and her late husband Walter (2015) of Riverdale, Peter Strumolo and his wife Maribeth of Wayne, Detective Sergeant Alfonse Strumolo of Riverdale, Ralph Strumolo and his wife Donna of Jefferson, and Lorraine Penton of East Stroudsburg, PA; cherished grandfather of twelve grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Al's honor toward construction of Chilton Hospital's new Pediatric Center. This will be part of the same fundraising effort in honor of Alfonse's son-in-law, the late Walter A. Markley II. To make a donation please visit: www.crowdrise.com/inmemoryofalphonsejs/fundraiser/.
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