Gloria Focazio

Gloria A. Focazio (Abdelnour), age 92, of Del Ray Beach, FL, passed peacefully on Saturday, November 14, 2020.

Gloria was born in Paterson to George and Najiba Abdelnour. She lived on Grand Street in Paterson and graduated from Central High School, where she sang in the choir with the Class of 1946. She continued her education at William Paterson University in Wayne and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education.

Gloria married John “Jack” Focazio and had a loving marriage of fifty-four years until his passing in May of 2004. They first lived in Niagara Falls, NY for a brief period of time and then moved to Montclair Avenue, Paterson, NJ where they started their family. They eventually moved to Sloping Hill Terrace, the Packanack Lake section of Wayne, NJ, and continued to raise their family.

Gloria was the youngest of eight girls. At the age of eleven she began working in a Paterson textile mill folding handkerchiefs, bed sheets, napkins, and tablecloths. After graduating from college she taught at the Ridgewood Secretarial School and soon found work with the Paterson Board of Education. Gloria taught at School 25 where she taught middle school-aged children and later worked at the Martin Luther King School as a reading specialist. She retired in 1985 and she and Jack moved to Del Ray Beach, Florida.

Gloria, her sisters, and friends started a Friday night “Knitting Club.” They wanted to  knit argyle socks for their husbands. Not a single pair of socks were ever finished because they decided to play cards instead. Many card games and fun filled nights were had during these “knitting club” meetings. Gloria was also an awesome cook. Her special touch on Arabic and Italian specialties will be greatly missed. Her home was always the destination for family holiday gatherings. You can imagine this was one busy house and kitchen! She also loved to watch her favorite television shows especially “Wheel of Fortune”. In her retirement Gloria found she had a talent for painting portraits with oil and painted many portraits of her grandchildren. She was one of the most progressive ninety-two year olds you will ever meet. She had a strong will, was faith-filled, and had a perseverance second to none. Gloria loved being with her family and friends. There could never be too many people!  Her welcoming way made her house a home.

She was also very dedicated to her Melkite Catholic faith and was a founding parishioner of Saint Ann’s Melkite Catholic Church that was originally in Paterson and is now located in Woodland Park. Gloria came from a family dedicated to their faith and had extended family members that were Bishops, Arch Bishops, and nuns. She could often be quoted as saying “If I didn’t have my faith, I would have nothing.”

Gloria was the loving wife of the late John “Jack” Focazio (d.2004); devoted mother of Jacqueline Focazio and her husband Manny of Point Pleasant Beach, Denise Fatica and her husband Pat of Wayne, and William Focazio,M.D. and his wife Debra of Saddle River; cherished grandmother of Dominique Focazio,Vanessa Focazio, Cara Focazio Koelsch,M.D,  Olivia Focazio, Remington Focazio,  Jack Fatica,M.D., William Fatica, Michael Fatica, ; she was the dearly loved great-grandmother of Marlo and Layla; she was predeceased by her seven sisters Mary Coussa, Helen Ged, Rita Cortese, Julia Sarapuchiello, Agnes Sciarrino, Emily Abdy, and Vera Hajjar; and will be dearly missed by many extended family and friends.

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Flowers are welcomed or if you would like to make a memorial donation the family asks you to consider Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing Center, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959