Ethel Cavaliere

Ethel Cavaliere, age 97, of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 8, 2020.

Ethel was born and raised in Passaic. After high school, she worked on an assembly line for a company in her hometown that made hankies. Ethel and her co-worker’s were paid per hankie folded, but when the other woman on the assembly line became aware Ethel was gifted at cutting and setting hair, they happily folded her allotment of hankies while Ethel did their hair.  Not sure if she ever folded a hankie!

One night, while attending a boxing match to see her brother Dickie compete, Ethel met a handsome Italian gentleman by the name of Arthur Cavaliere. Art just happened to be her brother Dickie’s trainer.  Her brother won the match and afterwards Ethel proceeded to go into the locker room to congratulate him.  That was their first encounter. Art at first hollered to her to “get out, she wasn’t allowed in there”, then he caught site of her beauty and those gorgeous legs and the rest is history.  They quickly fell in love and married soon after at the Catholic Cathedral in Passaic on Sunday November 16, 1941. Ethel was just nineteen when they exchanged their wedding promises and, when asked how Art proposed, she said, “He didn’t! He just told me we were getting married!” Well, it turned out to be a marriage made in heaven because they enjoyed a loving and devoted life together as husband and wife for nearly 56 years until Art’s passing in 1997. Ethel often referred to Art as her “Italian Stallion”.

After a three day honeymoon at the New Yorker Hotel in New York City, Ethel and Art settled into their first home as newlyweds in Paterson. They lived there for many years where they were blessed to raise their three children. Over the course of her life, Ethel also lived in Passaic, Clifton, West Paterson, and Wayne. She was an awesome wife and mother who showered her family with the love and adoration that just overflowed out of her heart. She was a problem solver and the one everybody in the family consulted when advice was needed. Her son Art, Jr. “Champ” credits his mother for being the force in his life that kept him from quitting school. In fact, on the night of Art’s high school graduation, his mother happened to be in the hospital. Art went right from school after the ceremony, directly to the hospital, still in his cap and gown, to visit his mom and thank her personally for her great influence in his life.

Ethel may not have completely finished high school but she was extremely smart and resourceful. She loved to sharpen her mind by reading and doing the daily crossword puzzle in the New York Times, and no one could solve a Rubik’s cube faster than her. Ethel also enjoyed putting her reflections on paper in poetic form for various life events like births, graduations, marriages, and loved ones passing from this life.

Ethel maintained an unwritten and welcoming open door policy in her home in which her kids were always encouraged to feel free to bring their friends home. When those friends came, you could count on it that they’d be offered a slice of Ethel’s delicious chocolate cake with her signature chocolate icing. She always had one of those cakes ready to go to make a guest feel warmly welcomed. In fact, cooking and baking were two of Ethel’s favorite pastimes. She learned much about great Italian cooking from her mother-in-law and family favorites included her delicious Italian meatballs, stuffed loin of pork, pasta fagioli, potato salad and macaroni salad. She always made much more than her family could eat but this was on purpose as she loved to share her culinary creations with extended family and friends. So Ethel would make the food and her husband Art would be her delivery man. She loved blessing others and her mother was so grateful to Ethel for always making big cakes for her church’s functions at Passaic Baptist Church.  

Ethel’s skills were not just limited to the kitchen. She was also an excellent seamstress who sewed or knitted almost all of the clothing for herself and all of her family, even extended family. She did it well and she could do it fast! Once, she sewed a dress for herself, by hand, the night before a funeral that she needed to attend. Ethel taste in fine clothing was expensive. On one hand, she couldn’t afford to buy what she liked, but she certainly could have it anyway, because she could make it herself. She held to high standards for doing a quality job. Consequently, if you received an outfit from Ethel, you could count on it lasting for years to come. To this day, anytime a family member puts on something made by Ethel, it just feels like she has her arms around them. Wherever she went, she would receive compliments for her unique, beautiful creations. Needless to say, she was well-known at the fabric stores. It seemed like the sewing machine was always running in the Cavaliere house. All of her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren were the loved recipients of new baby outfits and blankets upon the occasion of their births, and coats, hats, scarves, gloves and mittens as they got older.

By being a living example of love, Ethel was the glue that held her family firmly together. She was the kindest, most peace-loving person you will ever find. She lived by the mantra of “Always do the right thing” and she never hesitated to step up to help anyone in need.    

Ethel was the beloved wife of Arthur, Sr., who passed away on August 8, 1997. She was the most loving mother of Arthur Cavaliere, Jr. “Champ” of Wayne, Dorothy and husband Kevin Dowling of Butler, and Holly and husband Kenneth Bossart of Sparta; Adored grandmother of: Jennifer and husband Craig Torres of Flemington, Sita and husband Kenneth Goss of Byram, Dana Raczynski of Wharton, and Ramsey Raczynski and wife Dina Valente of Alexandria, VA, Amy and husband Gerry Dowd of Ireland, Tara and husband Matt Davis of Hickory, NC, and Stephanie Bossart of Mount Arlington; cherished great-grandmother of Justin, Brian, and Ava Torres, Jaxson and Sierra Goss, Dylan Dowd, and Jonah, Mark, and Luke Davis; and dear sister of Dorothy Hole of Clifton, the late Eleanor Latronico, the late Edward Mascuch Jr., the late Richard (Dick) Mascuch, and the late Dudley (Billy) Mascuch; and beloved daughter of the late Bessie and Edward Mascuch Sr.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Ethel’s name are asked to consider National Processing Center, Alzheimer’s Association, Greater NJ Chapter PO Box 96011 Washington DC 20090.You may also donate online at alz.org.