Johanna Bancale

Johanna Bancale (nee Berardi), aged 85 of Wayne passed away Thursday September 2nd, 2021.

She was born in Passaic, NJ to John and Anna Berardi, Italian immigrants, and grew up in Lyndhurst, NJ. In her teenage years, she got the opportunity of a lifetime and sailed to Italy to spend the summer and connect with family. This trip would spark a lifelong love and appreciation for her Italian heritage. She would return to Italy several more times in her life with her husband, daughter and other close family members.

One day after a school function, she met a dashing young man, Ernest Bancale, one year her senior. They fell in love and married October 2nd, 1955. Whether it was tending to their vegetable and flower garden or popping in to visit friends and family, they were inseparable throughout their 65+ years of marriage.

Shortly after their marriage, they had two children, Brian and Robyn. They then moved to Wayne in 1959 and bought their forever home, a fixer upper. They worked hard on rebuilding and renovating their house into a home for their two children. The kids wanted for nothing. Years later, their kids would also buy fixer uppers and as well as the grandkids, continuing the tradition.

Over the years, Johanna wore many hats. She trained as a hairdresser, but worked in a factory, cooked for a lunchonette and for the schools, and ran her own clothing shop among many other things. Even after retirement, she could not sit still. Her last and most favorite occupation was as a crossing guard for over 10 years at Ryerson Elementary School. It brought her joy to see the kids get to school safely and grow and develop over the years.

As an avid lover of nature, Johanna enjoyed many years of camping from the coasts of Maine to the forests of New York and Pennsylvania. Starting out in a tent, her love of camping grew and grew until she ended up in a 33 foot trailer. She loved having her grandchildren running around the campsite and her family close to her. Later, Johanna would enjoy cruises to Cozumel, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. Always on the go, Johanna enjoyed short trips to Atlantic City during her golden years. Whether it was catching crabs down the Jersey shore or eating lobsters in Maine, Johanna had exceptional taste for food.

It was her passion and legacy as her dining table was perpetually overflowing with food and eager guests. She was famous for her Italian Easter pie, pizza gaina. Every year for a family reunion, she would bake 25+ pies which would be distributed and enjoyed by Johanna’s extended family. It is a tradition she started that will live on with her daughter and generations to come. She made elaborate birthday cakes for her 3 grandsons in all different shapes, expertly decorated. Friends of her children and later grandchildren were always welcomed for dinner, expected or not. During the holidays, she hosted her grandson’s fellow airmen from McGuire Air Force Base who had nowhere else to go. Her Christmas Eve feast of the 7 fishes was not to be missed. You would never leave Johanna’s house hungry.

She possessed what can only be described as nafas, a word that has no English equivalent, but could translate to “breath or spirit.” As the New York Times delineates, “nafas speaks to a certain intimacy that stretches beyond the physical attributes of a dish. It is about the person preparing it, and what she imparts to the food. It is the time and energy spent selecting and preparing the ingredients; the patient dance back and forth with seasonings until every flavor is just right; the generous presentation and warm hospitality; and, above all, the love of cooking and the desire to feed others.” Nothing could embody Johanna better.

Johanna is survived by her beloved husband, Ernest, her daughter Robyn Sikder and husband Chitta, her son Brian Bancale and wife Annamarie, her 3 grandchildren; Mark and wife Marissa, Cory and wife Jessica, and Ryan; and her great grandchildren; Logan and Luke.