Bettina Migliore

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Bettina Migliore (nee Donati), age 86, of Wayne, NJ.

Bettina passed away on Monday, December 9, 2024 while in the loving care of her family. She was born in Mount Vernon, NY to Mario and Florence Donati, then spent most of her childhood in Paterson, NJ after the family relocated.

Immediately following her graduation from Central High School, Bettina attended Montclair Teachers' College in Montclair, NJ, now known as Montclair State University.  She earned her degree in 1959 as well as her teacher’s certification.  Bettina found employment quickly with Eastside High School in Paterson as an English Teacher.  She later left Eastside High School and accepted a position with Little Falls Board of Education.  Bettina remained with the Little Falls Board of Education employed as a fourth-grade teacher, which was her "favorite grade to teach."  She was truly well-respected and loved by her peers and her students. Bettina remained a dedicated schoolteacher until her retirement in 1998.

While a student in high school, Bettina met a handsome young man by the name of Jim Migliore.  The two attended the senior prom together and afterwards, Jim asked her to “go steady.”  As fate would have it, they fell in love, and on June 25, 1960 Jim and Bettina exchanged wedding vows at St. Michael’s Church in Paterson becoming husband and wife.

Not long after getting married, Jim and Bettina moved to Little Falls where they welcomed the birth of their only daughter, Beth on December 9, 1964.  Shortly after the birth of their daughter, Bettina decided to put her career on hold and take on the role of a full-time homemaker.  She spent the next decade caring for and raising her daughter.  After her daughter Beth had grown up, Bettina returned to the workforce as a full-time teacher again.  In 1984, the family moved to West Paterson, now known as Woodland Park. They resided there for the next fifteen years until moving to Four Seasons in Wayne in 1999, where they were one of the original owners in the development.

Being a teacher, it came to no one’s surprise that Bettina was an avid reader.  Over her lifetime, Bettina read over two thousand books, mostly fiction.  She was a woman who found solace in the pages of books, a passion she carried with her until the very end of her life.  Those who knew Bettina best knew that her true passion in life was for her family.  Nothing in the world meant more to Bettina than spending time with her husband, daughter, and especially her granddaughter Kara.  Bettina was a warm and loving individual.  She treasured spending time with her family, helping with her granddaughter, and playing board games with her friends and neighbors.  She and her husband Jim cherished fifty-five years of loving and loyal marriage together until Jim's passing in 2015.

Bettina was a truly special person who touched the lives of everyone around her, including the thousands of students she taught over her career.  She will be truly missed by everyone that knew her.

Bettina is survived by her daughter Beth Silvestri and her husband Al of Wayne, NJ, her brother Joseph Donati and his wife Ellen of Madison, NJ, and one granddaughter Kara Silvestri.  She was predeceased by her husband Jim Migliore in 2015.

For those who prefer a charitable contribution to flowers, please consider Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Donation Processing Center, PO Box 5041, Boone, IA 50950-0041.