Amanda Bellusci

Amanda Bellusci, age 36, of Wayne, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, June 23, 2022.

Amanda was the second of Arthur and Annette (Bolcato) Cetrulo’s two children, born in Belleville and raised in Wayne. She was a graduate of Wayne Hills High School Class of 2004.

The youngest of 16 grandchildren, Amanda’s childhood was filled with family vacations, holidays around crowded tables piled high with her favorite home-made dishes and gatherings marked with the happy chaos of the big, crazy family she adored. Growing up with cousins who were more like siblings made for stories and memories that will be shared for generations to come. Many of those cherished memories were forged in summers on the beaches and boardwalks of Wildwood NJ where Amanda’s family would visit each summer.  She also loved her time up at her grandparent’s house in the Poconos.  Amanda loved weekends “up the lake” spending her days fishing, exploring the woods, having bonfires and ending with her and her cousins “camping out” in the living room of the little house sleeping elbow to elbow in their sleeping bags. Amanda even made the local paper for catching the biggest catfish in Birchwood Lakes!  Amanda was an active kid and enjoyed her years playing soccer with her dad coaching her team.  Holidays with her family were one of Amanda’s favorite traditions and Christmas Eve was the highlight of the year.  Gathering at a relative’s house, everyone enjoyed a delicious meal, quality time playing with cousins and of course gifts! Being the youngest, Amanda got to open hers first!

Although Amanda met her husband Tom in high school, they didn’t start dating until 2007. It didn’t take long after their first date to a movie for them to fall for each other and a relationship to grow.  It is fitting that the couple got engaged at one of Amanda’s favorite family traditions of apple picking at Masker Orchards. Tom’s plan to propose at the orchard was delayed however, when Amanda’s hand was stung by a bee causing her ring finger to swell well beyond the chance of the beautiful engagement ring fitting. Patience prevailed and they left the orchard with delicious apples and a sweet memory. Amanda and Tom were married on November 22, 2013 at St. Mary’s Church in Pompton Lakes. Their wedding and reception was a beautiful celebration that joined not only Amanda and Tom as husband and wife, but two big, loving extended families into one.  Amanda considered herself to be extremely fortunate to be welcomed into Tom’s family as one of their own and cherished her relationship with them.

Anyone who knew Amanda, knew about the soft spot in her heart for cute furry animals. It was no surprise that, three weeks after getting married, Amanda adopted a kitten she named Charlie. And since Amanda thought Charlie needed a dog, he was soon joined by Freya, a clumsy but loving Golden Doodle. With the addition of Charlie and Freya, it was clear their little family needed more space, so they bought their first home in Wayne.

During the beginning of their marriage, Amanda and Tom continued to build their life with their families, including a close-knit group of friends who had become family. Being a bit of a dare devil, Amanda would tell Tom, “I’ll keep you wild, you keep me safe.” Her adventures included skydiving and snowboarding down a double diamond trail – despite being only a beginner. Even though she had lost her way and unintentionally ended up on that trail and ski patrol had to be called to get her down the mountain by toboggan, Amanda had a blast! She also loved horror movies – the more “horror-able” the better, and she was an avid reader of mysteries, suspense and (of course), dark horrors. She often mixed her love of a good book with another favorite pastime - taking a road trip, while listening to those books via MP3 recording. She loved being pretty and expressing her creative side with makeup. This creativity, a love of makeup, and a fascination with horror made Amanda the go to girl to have your makeup done for a Halloween costume party. Not one for idle conversation Amanda preferred communicating through social media and had a knack for bringing people together through her regular posting of photos or stories, usually revolving around the antics of her beloved kids and pets. On the home front, she could often be found outdoors getting her daily dose of vitamin D, out in the sun, while tending to and being creative with her vegetable and flower gardens.

Although Amanda and Tom had made a beautiful life together, it wasn’t complete until they welcomed their daughters into the family. The most cherished part of Amanda’s world was, without a doubt, being “Mommy” to her two incredible daughters Aria and Averie. She considered them her greatest life achievements in more ways than one. Amanda reveled in her first time mom moments with Aria, patiently navigating the challenges of parenthood with a baby who quickly grew into an energetic toddler and a precocious preschooler. Much to Amanda’s delight, Aria eventually became big sister to Averie. Averie was a joy to her parents and absolutely adores her sister Aria and recently brought her family together to celebrate her first birthday. Amanda was an awesome Mommy mixing a lot of love with just the right measure of wisdom and guidance. She was also a passionate aunt who adored her niece and Goddaughter Addriana, her niece Aubrey and her nephew Gianni. She often referred to Addriana as her first-born and would do anything for her.

When asked to use the first words that came to their minds to describe Amanda, without hesitation, her family showed how they truly felt with words like, “dedicated, reliable, dependable, the voice of reason, honest, passionate, loving, selfless, kind, considerate (she meticulously and thoughtfully picked out the best gifts and was generous to a fault), empathetically excellent at engaging people while never ever considering herself better than anyone, giving, and FUN – laughing all the time, she always had a smile on her face.”

Amanda loved looking up in the sky on a clear night to behold the stars. She had a fascination with stars and anything with stars on it. Now she’s a star herself, shining down from above!

Amanda, the adored wife of Thomas, was blessed in marriage for not long enough. The adoring mother of Aria and Averie; precious daughter of Arthur and Annette Cetrulo of Wayne; loving sister of Anthony Cetrulo and “sister”-in-law Kimie of Wayne; dear aunt of Addriana and Gianni Cetrulo and Aubrey Parella; dear daughter-in-law of Tom Bellusci and the late Sharon Bellusci of Wayne; and dear sister-in-law of Shannon Parella and husband Brian of Wayne.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Amanda’s name are asked to consider:

World Wildlife Fund

1250 24th Street, N.W.

Washington DC 20037

To donate by phone call 1-800-CALL-WWF

Friends of Wayne Animals Rescue (FOWA)

PO Box 3701

Wayne, NJ 07470

To download the mail-in form click here https://fowarescue.org/wp-content/uploads/fowa-mail-in-donation-form.pdf

PLEASE INDICATE THAT YOUR GIFT IS IN MEMORY OF AMANDA BELLUSCI