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Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Friday, December 11, 2015 from 2-7 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 8:30 AM on Saturday, December 12, 2015 from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of the Valley Church, 630 Valley Road Wayne, where at 9:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the Gates of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover, NJ.
Eleanor H. Velardi (nee De Marco), age 85 of Wayne, died peacefully on December 8, 2015 with her family gathered at her bedside.
Along with her 2 sisters and 2 brothers, Eleanor was born and raised in the Marion section of Jersey City to Joseph and Vita De Marco. She attended Dickinson High School. Eleanor’s father died when she was only seven years old, and was raised by her mother and step father, Joseph Maita. Eleanor worked at the cigar factory in Newark rolling cigars. During the “war” she worked at Western Electric in Kearney doing quality control on control boards. In her younger days, Eleanor was an avid basketball player, and helped her Mount Carmel Church team win the CYO championship.
While growing up in the city, Eleanor summer vacationed at her Grandmothers bungalow out in the “country”, Wayne. While vacationing one summer, she visited the Hi-Ho club where she met her future husband Gregory.
Eleanor married Gregory in 1957 and settled into the home that Gregory, his friends and his brothers built in Wayne where they began to raise their family. Her cooking was legendary, especially her meat balls. Her family loved her meatballs.
As her two sons grew up, Eleanor went back to work. This time as the “lunch lady” at Ryerson School. She worked there for 23 years, first volunteering as a cafeteria aide a couple of hours a day, and then working part time when a paying positioned became available. She loved being around the kids, and enjoyed the friendship and comraderie of her co-workers. On more than one occasion she was reprimanded by the staff for opening the tops of the thermos bottles of the handi-capped children. She was told the kids need to learn how to open the bottles themselves. She retorted, “They can learn how to open their thermos bottles when they are at home. When I’m here, I’m going to open them. What am I going to do stand there and watch them struggle?”
Eleanor loved her annual two week vacations in Florida with her family. Florida vacations were spent mainly in Clearwater, with side trips to Walt Disney World. She loved the Florida sun, and the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
While she never had dogs of her own, she loved baby sitting for Greg and Laurie’s dog Isabella. Mom and Bella would enjoy an English muffin with jelly for breakfast almost every day.
Eleanor was a member of the POL Fire Company #2 Ladies Auxiliary, having served as their President.
Eleanor was a devout Catholic and would always return annually to her home parish of Mt Carmel in Jersey City for the “Feast”. When she was healthy, her and her husband were regular parishioners at Holy Cross Church in Wayne and attended the Saturday evening mass.
Eleanor was a very giving and sharing person. She donated to just about every organization that sent her a donation request. She would say “send them $5.00 what’s the difference what they do with the money. They must be doing some good or they wouldn’t be soliciting for donations”.
Eleanor is survived by her devoted husband of 58 years Gregory (Hank) of Wayne, her two sons; Frank and his wife Gillian of Wayne, Gregory and his wife Laurie of Wayne, three grandchildren; Robert, Timothy, and Paul and her loving niece and nephew Jaime (Wayne) Gould of California, and Anthony (Eileen) Trapozzano of Florida. She was predeceased by her sisters Jean (Joseph) Radische, Jennie (Vincent) Trapozzano, and brothers Joseph (Tessie), and Paul (Ann).
Those wishing to make a donation in Eleanor’s memory are asked to consider the Wayne Township Memorial First Aid Squad. Donations should be made payable to the “Wayne Township Memorial First Aid Squad PO Box 291 Wayne, NJ 07474”.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Friday, December 11, 2015 from 2-7 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 8:30 AM on Saturday, December 12, 2015 from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of the Valley Church, 630 Valley Road Wayne, where at 9:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the Gates of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover, NJ.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Friday, December 11, 2015 from 2-7 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 8:30 AM on Saturday, December 12, 2015 from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of the Valley Church, 630 Valley Road Wayne, where at 9:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the Gates of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover, NJ.
Eleanor H. Velardi (nee De Marco), age 85 of Wayne, died peacefully on December 8, 2015 with her family gathered at her bedside.
Along with her 2 sisters and 2 brothers, Eleanor was born and raised in the Marion section of Jersey City to Joseph and Vita De Marco. She attended Dickinson High School. Eleanor’s father died when she was only seven years old, and was raised by her mother and step father, Joseph Maita. Eleanor worked at the cigar factory in Newark rolling cigars. During the “war” she worked at Western Electric in Kearney doing quality control on control boards. In her younger days, Eleanor was an avid basketball player, and helped her Mount Carmel Church team win the CYO championship.
While growing up in the city, Eleanor summer vacationed at her Grandmothers bungalow out in the “country”, Wayne. While vacationing one summer, she visited the Hi-Ho club where she met her future husband Gregory.
Eleanor married Gregory in 1957 and settled into the home that Gregory, his friends and his brothers built in Wayne where they began to raise their family. Her cooking was legendary, especially her meat balls. Her family loved her meatballs.
As her two sons grew up, Eleanor went back to work. This time as the “lunch lady” at Ryerson School. She worked there for 23 years, first volunteering as a cafeteria aide a couple of hours a day, and then working part time when a paying positioned became available. She loved being around the kids, and enjoyed the friendship and comraderie of her co-workers. On more than one occasion she was reprimanded by the staff for opening the tops of the thermos bottles of the handi-capped children. She was told the kids need to learn how to open the bottles themselves. She retorted, “They can learn how to open their thermos bottles when they are at home. When I’m here, I’m going to open them. What am I going to do stand there and watch them struggle?”
Eleanor loved her annual two week vacations in Florida with her family. Florida vacations were spent mainly in Clearwater, with side trips to Walt Disney World. She loved the Florida sun, and the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
While she never had dogs of her own, she loved baby sitting for Greg and Laurie’s dog Isabella. Mom and Bella would enjoy an English muffin with jelly for breakfast almost every day.
Eleanor was a member of the POL Fire Company #2 Ladies Auxiliary, having served as their President.
Eleanor was a devout Catholic and would always return annually to her home parish of Mt Carmel in Jersey City for the “Feast”. When she was healthy, her and her husband were regular parishioners at Holy Cross Church in Wayne and attended the Saturday evening mass.
Eleanor was a very giving and sharing person. She donated to just about every organization that sent her a donation request. She would say “send them $5.00 what’s the difference what they do with the money. They must be doing some good or they wouldn’t be soliciting for donations”.
Eleanor is survived by her devoted husband of 58 years Gregory (Hank) of Wayne, her two sons; Frank and his wife Gillian of Wayne, Gregory and his wife Laurie of Wayne, three grandchildren; Robert, Timothy, and Paul and her loving niece and nephew Jaime (Wayne) Gould of California, and Anthony (Eileen) Trapozzano of Florida. She was predeceased by her sisters Jean (Joseph) Radische, Jennie (Vincent) Trapozzano, and brothers Joseph (Tessie), and Paul (Ann).
Those wishing to make a donation in Eleanor’s memory are asked to consider the Wayne Township Memorial First Aid Squad. Donations should be made payable to the “Wayne Township Memorial First Aid Squad PO Box 291 Wayne, NJ 07474”.
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