Anna Starita

Anna Dall’omo Starita, age 97, of Wayne and formerly of Woodridge, pass away peacefully on Saturday, December 6, 2025, while in the loving presence of her dear family.

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Anna was born on March 4, 1928, in Loiano, Italy, where she lived as a young woman through the hardships of World War II and the Nazi occupation. During the war, when the U.S. Army took over her uncle’s farm, Anna met an American soldier names Charles “Charlie” Starita. They were married for 61 years, from 1947 until his passing in 2008.

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Anna and Charlie’s life together took them from Jersey City to Georgia, Virginia, and Germany before they settled in Woodridge, New Jersey, where they raised their four children. They were avid travelers and returned to Anna’s hometown in Italy every summer. 

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Anna was a woman of many talents and passions. An excellent cook, she taught her children and grandchildren the art of making fresh pasta. She was an avid and talented knitter, and she enjoyed staying active through swimming and tennis. A devoted and sharp card player who maintained that canasta was for dummies, she spent many hours playing cards and Mahjong with friends at the Wayne Adult Center. 

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Most recently, Anna resided with her daughter and son-in-law in Wayne where she was a parishioner of Our Lady of the Valley Roman Catholic Church. 

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Anna is survived by her children and their spouses: Carla Scheld (née Starita) and her husband John, Richard Starita, Paul Starita and Sheila Peterson, widow of her son Robert “Topo” Starita who predeceased Anna in 2022. She also leaves behind four grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren, and she was predeceased by her two brothers: Bertino Dall’omo and Giorgio Dall’omo.