Giacinto Gorga

Giacinto “Gino” “Gene” Gorga, 76, of Wayne, New Jersey, peacefully succumbed to health complications from COPD and heart issues surrounded by his family on Friday, April 3, 2020.

Giacinto will join his beloved wife of 47 years, Antonia, in the kingdom of heaven.  Giacinto was a devoted father to his daughter Teresa Giudice of Towaco, son in law Giuseppe Giudice, and son Giuseppe Gorga and his wife Melissa of Montville and a cherished Nonno to Gia Giudice, Gabriella Giudice, Milania Giudice, Audriana Giudice, Antonia Gorga, Giuseppe Gorga, and Giacinto Gorga.

Giuseppe and Rosa Gorga gave birth to Giacinto in Sala Consalina, Italy on September 8, 1943, he was the youngest of five siblings. On December 27, 1969 Giacinto married the love of his life Antonia.  They were married only a short time when they decided that there was a better life waiting for them in America and on October 13, 1971 Antonia and Giacinto, without being able to speak a word of English bravely left behind their life in Italy to travel to the United States in search of the American Dream.  They settled in Paterson when they first arrived in a small attic apartment. Giacinto got a job washing dishes in a small restaurant called the Mona Lisa in West Paterson. Paterson was the place they would call their home for many years and raise their two children, Teresa and Giuseppe. Giacinto later moved in to the business of construction.  He became an entrepreneur and purchased his own shoe repair store in Butler New Jersey in 1976, following that he then opened Interstate Shoe Repair in Ramsey, New Jersey where he worked until his retirement.  He came from Italy to America as an immigrant with many struggles but persevered made a successful life with his most important value always being his family and supporting them.  Nothing mattered more to him than being a strong husband and father, he took great pride in his wife, daughter and son and had a strong sense of family values that he passed along to his children and grandchildren. Sunday dinners or outings anywhere were a priority in his life as long as they were together as a family.

While living in Paterson for many years they were parishioners of St Mary’s RC Church and later at St. Gerard’s RC Church also in Paterson. Eventually Giacinto and Antonia move to the Town of Wayne, and were parishioners of St. Josephs in Lincoln Park for the last seventeen years.

Giacinto and his wife Antonia both knew how cooking could bring family together and made meals an important part of there lives to bring family and friends together. After his wife passed he moved into his daughter Teresa’s home, he continued the love of cooking and sharing the tradition with his granddaughters. Giacinto enjoyed traveling with his daughter, son and grandchildren all throughout the Caribbean and Mexico, also making the trip back to Italy in November of 2019 to see his childhood home and visit with family.

The love that Antonia and Giacinto shared was one for the record books, to say that he was devoted to his late wife, Antonia, would be an understatement, he would visit her at the mausoleum every single day, even the days he was traveling or ill he would go twice to make up for the days he missed.  Antonia and Giacinto cherished forty-seven years of loving and loyal marriage. Giacinto was at a complete loss after his wife passed three years ago, but remained strong to assist his daughter, Teresa with her four daughters. He was the most active grandfather often bringing his youngest granddaughter back and forth to dance daily as well as often shuttling the others to activities, even teaching eldest granddaughter Gia to drive.

Giacinto was the life of the party, always making sure everyone was having a good time, making sure they had a full glass and full plate, always making sure everyone was laughing around him. You could find him raising a glass of Johnnie Walker blue to anyone he knew.  He found so much joy shopping with his beloved daughter Teresa, he could often be found riding side by side with his daughter around town grabbing lunch or even going for manicure and pedicure.  He touched the lives of so many people and will be sincerely missed by everyone that knew him. To know him was to love him, he didn’t meet anyone that didn’t fall in love with him.  Our beloved Nonno you will be forever missed.  

A special thank you to the people at St. Josephs Hospital in Wayne, NJ for their loving care and support, especially Dr. N.Matalkah of Wayne, Dr.G.Pavlou of Woodland Park and Dr. M.Salimi of Wayne and Dr.M.Biehl of Wayne and the amazing nursing staffs. With each visit the staff made us feel loved and supported, a sincerest thank you from our family. Special thanks to the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home.