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Services
Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, December 22, 2016 from 4-7:30 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne. A Funeral Service will be held immediately following visitation and begin in the funeral home at 7:30 PM.
Doris Rose Gallo, age 84, of Pompton Plains, passed away at home on Monday, December 19, 2016.
Doris was born and raised in Paterson. As a young lady she modeled a bit and she was known in school as the make-up guru who lots of other girls went to for advice on how to make themselves look pretty. Doris was very intelligent and, as a child, she dreamed of someday being a scientist but knew that her dream would probably never come true because there just wasn’t any money for that in those days.
Shortly after graduating from Eastside High School with the Class of 1949, she met a young man named Leo Gallo at a dance. When Leo first saw Doris he knew right then that she was the girl he would someday marry, the most beautiful girl in the world. On that evening, let’s just say that the feeling was not mutual. Leo tried to pursue a nice relationship with Doris but she was not interested. He went off and joined the U.S. Marines and they both ended up dating other people. Then one night while Leo was home on leave, he ran into Doris again at the Madison Plaza Diner in Paterson. The girl he was dating was with him but he got up anyway and went over to talk to Doris. Lord knows what they talked about but three months later, on May 24, 1952, they got married at St. Michael’s Church in Paterson. Doris was 20 and Leo was 22. They honeymooned in Niagara Falls, then settled into their first apartment together in Paterson, upstairs from her childhood friend, Betty.
Soon after marriage, Doris and Leo built their first home – a three-bedroom ranch at 346 Wabash Avenue in Paterson for a mere $10,000 on land that they bought from Doris’ grandfather. There they were blessed with three children between 1954 and 1962 – two girls and a boy. Doris settled into the primary role of wife, mother, and homemaker but also worked part time in Leo’s business – Ferraro’s Liquor Store on 21st Avenue in Paterson. Her primary role was that of bookkeeper but she’d also pitch in when needed to help in the daily operation of the business, and an occasional bottle of red wine was compensation enough for her.
In 1969, Doris and Leo moved the family into another new home they built in West Paterson on Mountain Ave. Doris loved this home so much as it was built right across from Garrett Mountain Park and since she was such a nature lover, this home was located in the most perfect setting! Fall was her favorite season because she loved taking rides to see the vibrant colors of the changing foliage all around her.
In 1978, Doris and Leo sold the liquor store and moved again, this time to Las Vegas, Nevada. They had been out there for vacation and they just loved it. When they moved there in the seventies, it wasn’t nearly as built up and commercialized at it is today. In fact, their house was located on the outskirts of town. Beyond their home was desert and mountains. While living there, they loved taking trips to beautiful Lake Mead and Red Rock, and of course, they loved seeing if they could meet up with their good friend “Lady Luck” at the Palace Station and Texas Station Casinos. Doris was the stereotypical casino lady. She’d take a puff of her Camel cigarette and pull the slot machine lever. Then another puff on the smoke and another pull of the lever. She was quite good at it and occasionally, she’d win! She and Leo made friends with a cast of characters that they met while gambling, and in the early days, when the casinos were offering “comped” meals, they always took advantage. Overall they enjoyed a great life in Las Vegas, and when Leo wasn't working as a cab driver, they took several trips to see the wonders of nature at Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, and for their 50th wedding anniversary, their children blew them away with a cruise to Alaska. Doris and Leo also loved their trip to Hawaii and took cruises to Coronado. After her beloved Leo passed away in 2007, Doris moved back to New Jersey in 2011, settling in and enjoying a wonderful community of friends at Cedar Crest Village in Pompton Plains.
No matter where she lived, Doris always cherished time spent with her grandchildren. When they were little, she’d read to them or teach them how to put puzzles together. As they got older, they loved going to Grandmas in Las Vegas and swimming in her pool. She was always bragging about them as they provided so much joy in her life.
Doris had a great zest for life and she enjoyed a wide array of different pastimes and experiences. As a child, she grew up near the train tracks in Paterson. She always loved the sound of a train. To Doris, her grandmother had the most beautiful flowers in all of Paterson. She embraced all that Grandma taught her about gardening and she always gave credit to her for her own green thumb. Doris was also an excellent seamstress who made a lot of her own beautiful clothes, along with matching dresses for her daughters. She was equally skilled in the art of knitting and crocheting and she made many beautiful baby blankets, afghans, sweaters, hats and mittens.
Like so many, Doris had a great love for the magnificence of the ocean. When her children were young, the family took regular trips down the Jersey shore to Wildwood Crest and, later in life, she especially liked to hit the beaches in North Carolina and in Hilton Head with Lesley, Jerry and her grandsons. Nothing could be better to Doris then a day on the beach, of course under her hat and umbrella because she burned in the shade, and taking in a good book. She was an avid reader and was especially attracted to Sci-Fi thrillers and murder mysteries, including anything written by Stephen King and Dean Koontz. She was also a wiz at crossword puzzles and word searches. In fact, she kept a little log of new words she learned while reading, including the definitions which she’d pull out for reference when she was doing one of those crossword puzzles. She also read the newspaper daily and, as a result of all her reading, she could speak well on almost any subject you could bring up.
Doris’ family will admit that sometimes she had a tough side to her. She didn’t cry that much but she definitely cried when her beloved dogs - Mikey, Nicky, and Sandy went to doggie heaven. Sometimes a bit stubborn, thick-headed and strong-willed, her family nevertheless will always be grateful for the good values she taught them like respect, the value of hard work, and love and affection for others.
Doris was the beloved wife of the late Leo Gallo (2007); loving mother of: Lesley Rubino and husband Germano of Wayne, Geoffrey Gallo of Las Vegas, NV, and Lisa Gallo-Gabbert and husband Steve of Las Vegas, NV; and four dear grandchildren: Robert Gallo, Justin Rubino, Michael Gallo, and Tyler Rubino. She was also predeceased by her dear sister Marlene Cobianchi.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Doris’ name are asked to consider the ASPCA, PO Box 96929, Washington DC 20090-6929 (www.aspca.org), or The Humane Society of the United States, Dept: Memorial Donations, 1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20037 (www.humanesociety.org).
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, December 22, 2016 from 4-7:30 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne. A Funeral Service will be held immediately following visitation and begin in the funeral home at 7:30 PM.
Services
Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, December 22, 2016 from 4-7:30 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne. A Funeral Service will be held immediately following visitation and begin in the funeral home at 7:30 PM.
Doris Rose Gallo, age 84, of Pompton Plains, passed away at home on Monday, December 19, 2016.
Doris was born and raised in Paterson. As a young lady she modeled a bit and she was known in school as the make-up guru who lots of other girls went to for advice on how to make themselves look pretty. Doris was very intelligent and, as a child, she dreamed of someday being a scientist but knew that her dream would probably never come true because there just wasn’t any money for that in those days.
Shortly after graduating from Eastside High School with the Class of 1949, she met a young man named Leo Gallo at a dance. When Leo first saw Doris he knew right then that she was the girl he would someday marry, the most beautiful girl in the world. On that evening, let’s just say that the feeling was not mutual. Leo tried to pursue a nice relationship with Doris but she was not interested. He went off and joined the U.S. Marines and they both ended up dating other people. Then one night while Leo was home on leave, he ran into Doris again at the Madison Plaza Diner in Paterson. The girl he was dating was with him but he got up anyway and went over to talk to Doris. Lord knows what they talked about but three months later, on May 24, 1952, they got married at St. Michael’s Church in Paterson. Doris was 20 and Leo was 22. They honeymooned in Niagara Falls, then settled into their first apartment together in Paterson, upstairs from her childhood friend, Betty.
Soon after marriage, Doris and Leo built their first home – a three-bedroom ranch at 346 Wabash Avenue in Paterson for a mere $10,000 on land that they bought from Doris’ grandfather. There they were blessed with three children between 1954 and 1962 – two girls and a boy. Doris settled into the primary role of wife, mother, and homemaker but also worked part time in Leo’s business – Ferraro’s Liquor Store on 21st Avenue in Paterson. Her primary role was that of bookkeeper but she’d also pitch in when needed to help in the daily operation of the business, and an occasional bottle of red wine was compensation enough for her.
In 1969, Doris and Leo moved the family into another new home they built in West Paterson on Mountain Ave. Doris loved this home so much as it was built right across from Garrett Mountain Park and since she was such a nature lover, this home was located in the most perfect setting! Fall was her favorite season because she loved taking rides to see the vibrant colors of the changing foliage all around her.
In 1978, Doris and Leo sold the liquor store and moved again, this time to Las Vegas, Nevada. They had been out there for vacation and they just loved it. When they moved there in the seventies, it wasn’t nearly as built up and commercialized at it is today. In fact, their house was located on the outskirts of town. Beyond their home was desert and mountains. While living there, they loved taking trips to beautiful Lake Mead and Red Rock, and of course, they loved seeing if they could meet up with their good friend “Lady Luck” at the Palace Station and Texas Station Casinos. Doris was the stereotypical casino lady. She’d take a puff of her Camel cigarette and pull the slot machine lever. Then another puff on the smoke and another pull of the lever. She was quite good at it and occasionally, she’d win! She and Leo made friends with a cast of characters that they met while gambling, and in the early days, when the casinos were offering “comped” meals, they always took advantage. Overall they enjoyed a great life in Las Vegas, and when Leo wasn't working as a cab driver, they took several trips to see the wonders of nature at Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, and for their 50th wedding anniversary, their children blew them away with a cruise to Alaska. Doris and Leo also loved their trip to Hawaii and took cruises to Coronado. After her beloved Leo passed away in 2007, Doris moved back to New Jersey in 2011, settling in and enjoying a wonderful community of friends at Cedar Crest Village in Pompton Plains.
No matter where she lived, Doris always cherished time spent with her grandchildren. When they were little, she’d read to them or teach them how to put puzzles together. As they got older, they loved going to Grandmas in Las Vegas and swimming in her pool. She was always bragging about them as they provided so much joy in her life.
Doris had a great zest for life and she enjoyed a wide array of different pastimes and experiences. As a child, she grew up near the train tracks in Paterson. She always loved the sound of a train. To Doris, her grandmother had the most beautiful flowers in all of Paterson. She embraced all that Grandma taught her about gardening and she always gave credit to her for her own green thumb. Doris was also an excellent seamstress who made a lot of her own beautiful clothes, along with matching dresses for her daughters. She was equally skilled in the art of knitting and crocheting and she made many beautiful baby blankets, afghans, sweaters, hats and mittens.
Like so many, Doris had a great love for the magnificence of the ocean. When her children were young, the family took regular trips down the Jersey shore to Wildwood Crest and, later in life, she especially liked to hit the beaches in North Carolina and in Hilton Head with Lesley, Jerry and her grandsons. Nothing could be better to Doris then a day on the beach, of course under her hat and umbrella because she burned in the shade, and taking in a good book. She was an avid reader and was especially attracted to Sci-Fi thrillers and murder mysteries, including anything written by Stephen King and Dean Koontz. She was also a wiz at crossword puzzles and word searches. In fact, she kept a little log of new words she learned while reading, including the definitions which she’d pull out for reference when she was doing one of those crossword puzzles. She also read the newspaper daily and, as a result of all her reading, she could speak well on almost any subject you could bring up.
Doris’ family will admit that sometimes she had a tough side to her. She didn’t cry that much but she definitely cried when her beloved dogs - Mikey, Nicky, and Sandy went to doggie heaven. Sometimes a bit stubborn, thick-headed and strong-willed, her family nevertheless will always be grateful for the good values she taught them like respect, the value of hard work, and love and affection for others.
Doris was the beloved wife of the late Leo Gallo (2007); loving mother of: Lesley Rubino and husband Germano of Wayne, Geoffrey Gallo of Las Vegas, NV, and Lisa Gallo-Gabbert and husband Steve of Las Vegas, NV; and four dear grandchildren: Robert Gallo, Justin Rubino, Michael Gallo, and Tyler Rubino. She was also predeceased by her dear sister Marlene Cobianchi.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Doris’ name are asked to consider the ASPCA, PO Box 96929, Washington DC 20090-6929 (www.aspca.org), or The Humane Society of the United States, Dept: Memorial Donations, 1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20037 (www.humanesociety.org).
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