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May 11, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Thursday, May 16, 2013 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, May 17, 2013 from the funeral home, then to Holy Spirit R.C. Church, 318 Newark-Pompton Turnpike, Pequannock, where at 11:00 AM, a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Elsie Marie Conti, age 76, peacefully passed away early on Saturday morning, May 11, 2013.
Elsie was born in Glen Ridge. At an early age, she went to live with her grandparents on their five-acre farm in Pequannock. She loved growing up there and, for the most part, quickly assimilated to the realities of life on a farm. She helped her grandparents to grow and harvests the vegetables, work in the orchard and raise the ducks and chickens for egg production and eating. They even bred German Shepherds on the farm! In the beginning, as she was learning all a lot, she did admit to finding it difficult to watch chickens being slaughtered so they could later be sold to be served on someone’s dinner table.
Following graduation from Butler High School Elsie went to work at Little Falls Laundry as a seamstress. From time-to-time, the sewing machines in the shop needed servicing. Elsie took a strong liking to a handsome sewing machine mechanic that the laundry had hired. His name was Tony Conti and eventually, Elsie and Tony dated and fell in love. They decided to elope and following marriage and a honeymoon in Maryland, the love birds settled into their first apartment together in Paterson.
Elsie continued in her work as a seamstress until she and Tony began to enjoy the blessings of little ones. Those blessings kept coming until eventually, Elsie found more than full time work being the mommy of three beautiful girls and three handsome boys! During that time of having and raising the children, Elsie always yearned for the days of living back on her grandparents farm. She and Tony and the whole family eventually did return and it was there that Elsie did her share, along with Tony, to carve out a living and a life for themselves and the children. By now, the five-acre farm she grew up on was only about an acre but there was still plenty of work to go around for everyone and her children learned many valuable life lessons about hard work, patience and perseverance. Mom and Dad put those kids to work and they were expected to weed the gardens, cut the grass and pick the many varieties of vegetables including string beans, cucumbers and carrots, rhubarb and radishes, potatoes and peppers, and zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes. Oh, it was hard work, but being able to eat a dozen fresh Jersey tomatoes while picking five dozen made it all worth it! Of course, Elsie didn’t know and she was sometimes puzzled when her kids weren’t hungry for dinner after picking tomatoes.
Never afraid of work, Elsie enjoyed the farm, sometimes selling the fruits of her labor. In addition, she used her expert seamstress skills and built quite a customer base by offering such services as alterations, knitting and sewing. She even made a few wedding dresses in her day! As her own kids were grown and began leaving the house, Elsie became a babysitter to countless children in the community. Many parents trusted their children to the loving care of Elsie. She became everyone’s “Grandma” and many of them continued to keep in touch with her.
With so many wonderful ingredients produced right on the farm, it’s no wonder that Elsie was a wonderful cook and baker. There were lots of mouths to feed and family favorites included homemade pizza which tasted just as good for breakfast if you didn’t finish it the night before, zucchini soup (or ganguzza as it was called), and good-old spaghetti and meatballs. For dessert no one made cheesecake like Elsie. The secret was in the whipping! Her lemon meringue pie and delectably delicious fudge were also family favorites. Oh yes, Elsie loved to bake, and if all her treats didn’t make you struggle with your weight, she was your best friend! No matter what the occasion, if Elsie was going to get together with you, she would always bring lots of home-made treats. Holidays were usually at her daughter Darlene’s house and when Elsie arrived, she always loaded the entire trunk of her Saturn with goodies.
While much of her life consisted of work, Elsie did enjoy times of leisure, especially being together with all of her family and taking frequent day trips to Greenwood Lake. There was nothing like the peacefulness of the lake, the sunshine and spending a day barbequing and watching the boats while being in the loving company of family and friends. Elsie also loved it when her grandchildren came to her house. They would always gather in the yard and play games of whiffle-ball or volleyball, forming teams of boys against the girls. Every Sunday, after food shopping, she and Tony would end up at Uncle Frank and Aunt Helen’s house for a party. Throughout the years, she also derived great enjoyment from her many canine companions. Whether it was Boots or her Siberian Husky Khiesha or her German Shepherd Cane or, most recently, her little Bichon Frise’ Prince who was such a loyal companion and who survives her and will miss her dearly, Elsie loved them all. She also loved her little black and white kitty that followed one of the kids home one day. Poor little thing couldn’t meow so they named him Mow.
Elsie was dearly loved and will be sorely missed. She will be remembered for the example of steadiness, loyalty and conscientiousness that summed up her life and what she stood for. Sometimes her determination to make things right tried to get the best of her, but she always persevered. The story is told of a time Elsie was in her back yard and she noticed that a garden border made from railroad ties was out of line. As she tried to straighten it out, the railroad tie rolled on her ankle necessitating the need for an ambulance. Despite being strapped on the stretcher, she needed that border to be straight, so she leaned over and actually pushed it into place as she lay on her back. Another time, a DVD she had watched fell behind the television. She slid the TV out a ways so she could retrieve the DVD. The TV ended up falling on her leg causing quite a bloody gash. Again, Elsie’s need to have things just right compelled her to make sure that TV was back in place before she called the paramedics for help. She always tried to do the right thing and if you needed her, she’d be there for you in a heartbeat. It didn’t matter what time of day or night it was! She was extremely charitable and during her life-long involvement at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Pequannock, she generously gave to whatever need was appealed. She considered herself to be a very blessed and fortunate woman and her heart always went out to the less fortunate. Elsie was extremely proud of her family and her loss will never fully be replaced.
Elsie is survived by her six children: Deborah and husband Corby Smith of Billings, MT, Darlene and husband Richard Post of Little Falls, James and wife Annie Conti of Glen Allen, VA, Dennis Conti of Pompton Lakes, Victoria and husband Mike Parietti of Pequannock, and Donald Conti of Totowa; her one step-son Richard Conti of Pompton Plains; Eleven grandchildren: Valerie, Heather, Brent, Toni Anne, Kara, Randy, Briana, Carissa, Karli, Anthony, and Olivia; and two great-grandchildren: Arlen and Shaylee. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Tony in 1987.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Elsie’s name are asked to consider St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142 (www.stjude.org), or Covenant House, 330 Washington St., Newark, NJ 07102 (www.covenanthousenj.org).
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 Thursday, May 16, 2013 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, May 17, 2013 from the funeral home, then to Holy Spirit R.C. Church, 318 Newark-Pompton Turnpike, Pequannock, where at 11:00 AM, a Funeral Mass will be offered.
May 11, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Thursday, May 16, 2013 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, May 17, 2013 from the funeral home, then to Holy Spirit R.C. Church, 318 Newark-Pompton Turnpike, Pequannock, where at 11:00 AM, a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Elsie Marie Conti, age 76, peacefully passed away early on Saturday morning, May 11, 2013.
Elsie was born in Glen Ridge. At an early age, she went to live with her grandparents on their five-acre farm in Pequannock. She loved growing up there and, for the most part, quickly assimilated to the realities of life on a farm. She helped her grandparents to grow and harvests the vegetables, work in the orchard and raise the ducks and chickens for egg production and eating. They even bred German Shepherds on the farm! In the beginning, as she was learning all a lot, she did admit to finding it difficult to watch chickens being slaughtered so they could later be sold to be served on someone’s dinner table.
Following graduation from Butler High School Elsie went to work at Little Falls Laundry as a seamstress. From time-to-time, the sewing machines in the shop needed servicing. Elsie took a strong liking to a handsome sewing machine mechanic that the laundry had hired. His name was Tony Conti and eventually, Elsie and Tony dated and fell in love. They decided to elope and following marriage and a honeymoon in Maryland, the love birds settled into their first apartment together in Paterson.
Elsie continued in her work as a seamstress until she and Tony began to enjoy the blessings of little ones. Those blessings kept coming until eventually, Elsie found more than full time work being the mommy of three beautiful girls and three handsome boys! During that time of having and raising the children, Elsie always yearned for the days of living back on her grandparents farm. She and Tony and the whole family eventually did return and it was there that Elsie did her share, along with Tony, to carve out a living and a life for themselves and the children. By now, the five-acre farm she grew up on was only about an acre but there was still plenty of work to go around for everyone and her children learned many valuable life lessons about hard work, patience and perseverance. Mom and Dad put those kids to work and they were expected to weed the gardens, cut the grass and pick the many varieties of vegetables including string beans, cucumbers and carrots, rhubarb and radishes, potatoes and peppers, and zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes. Oh, it was hard work, but being able to eat a dozen fresh Jersey tomatoes while picking five dozen made it all worth it! Of course, Elsie didn’t know and she was sometimes puzzled when her kids weren’t hungry for dinner after picking tomatoes.
Never afraid of work, Elsie enjoyed the farm, sometimes selling the fruits of her labor. In addition, she used her expert seamstress skills and built quite a customer base by offering such services as alterations, knitting and sewing. She even made a few wedding dresses in her day! As her own kids were grown and began leaving the house, Elsie became a babysitter to countless children in the community. Many parents trusted their children to the loving care of Elsie. She became everyone’s “Grandma” and many of them continued to keep in touch with her.
With so many wonderful ingredients produced right on the farm, it’s no wonder that Elsie was a wonderful cook and baker. There were lots of mouths to feed and family favorites included homemade pizza which tasted just as good for breakfast if you didn’t finish it the night before, zucchini soup (or ganguzza as it was called), and good-old spaghetti and meatballs. For dessert no one made cheesecake like Elsie. The secret was in the whipping! Her lemon meringue pie and delectably delicious fudge were also family favorites. Oh yes, Elsie loved to bake, and if all her treats didn’t make you struggle with your weight, she was your best friend! No matter what the occasion, if Elsie was going to get together with you, she would always bring lots of home-made treats. Holidays were usually at her daughter Darlene’s house and when Elsie arrived, she always loaded the entire trunk of her Saturn with goodies.
While much of her life consisted of work, Elsie did enjoy times of leisure, especially being together with all of her family and taking frequent day trips to Greenwood Lake. There was nothing like the peacefulness of the lake, the sunshine and spending a day barbequing and watching the boats while being in the loving company of family and friends. Elsie also loved it when her grandchildren came to her house. They would always gather in the yard and play games of whiffle-ball or volleyball, forming teams of boys against the girls. Every Sunday, after food shopping, she and Tony would end up at Uncle Frank and Aunt Helen’s house for a party. Throughout the years, she also derived great enjoyment from her many canine companions. Whether it was Boots or her Siberian Husky Khiesha or her German Shepherd Cane or, most recently, her little Bichon Frise’ Prince who was such a loyal companion and who survives her and will miss her dearly, Elsie loved them all. She also loved her little black and white kitty that followed one of the kids home one day. Poor little thing couldn’t meow so they named him Mow.
Elsie was dearly loved and will be sorely missed. She will be remembered for the example of steadiness, loyalty and conscientiousness that summed up her life and what she stood for. Sometimes her determination to make things right tried to get the best of her, but she always persevered. The story is told of a time Elsie was in her back yard and she noticed that a garden border made from railroad ties was out of line. As she tried to straighten it out, the railroad tie rolled on her ankle necessitating the need for an ambulance. Despite being strapped on the stretcher, she needed that border to be straight, so she leaned over and actually pushed it into place as she lay on her back. Another time, a DVD she had watched fell behind the television. She slid the TV out a ways so she could retrieve the DVD. The TV ended up falling on her leg causing quite a bloody gash. Again, Elsie’s need to have things just right compelled her to make sure that TV was back in place before she called the paramedics for help. She always tried to do the right thing and if you needed her, she’d be there for you in a heartbeat. It didn’t matter what time of day or night it was! She was extremely charitable and during her life-long involvement at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Pequannock, she generously gave to whatever need was appealed. She considered herself to be a very blessed and fortunate woman and her heart always went out to the less fortunate. Elsie was extremely proud of her family and her loss will never fully be replaced.
Elsie is survived by her six children: Deborah and husband Corby Smith of Billings, MT, Darlene and husband Richard Post of Little Falls, James and wife Annie Conti of Glen Allen, VA, Dennis Conti of Pompton Lakes, Victoria and husband Mike Parietti of Pequannock, and Donald Conti of Totowa; her one step-son Richard Conti of Pompton Plains; Eleven grandchildren: Valerie, Heather, Brent, Toni Anne, Kara, Randy, Briana, Carissa, Karli, Anthony, and Olivia; and two great-grandchildren: Arlen and Shaylee. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Tony in 1987.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Elsie’s name are asked to consider St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142 (www.stjude.org), or Covenant House, 330 Washington St., Newark, NJ 07102 (www.covenanthousenj.org).
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