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Services
Friends may visit with the family from 4-8 PM on Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9 AM on Thursday, July 28, 2016 from the funeral home then to Our Lady of the Valley RC Church, 630 Valley Road, Wayne where a 10 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Entombment will be in Garden of Memories Mausoleum, Washington Township.
Josephine “Joanne” Smith (nee Russo) age 86 of Mays Landing, formerly a forty-eight year resident of Wayne, passed peacefully on Saturday, July 23, 2016.
She was born, the youngest child of six, to Louis and Ann Russo in Brooklyn, New York. She was raised on Martha Place in Passaic, New Jersey before the family moved to Clifton where Josephine graduated from Clifton High School with the Class of 1947. After high school she graduated from Drake College in Passaic.
Beginning her working career with American Loose Leaf Company, Josephine’s soon joined the Curtis Wright Corporation in Clifton where she worked as a secretary for many years. Many will remember her unofficial nickname of “Mrs. Macy” as she worked at the Men’s Fragrance counter at the Macys Department Store in Willowbrook Mall for many years.
In 1960 Josephine married John “Jack” Smith and the newly married couple lived on South Parkway in Clifton with her brother John and sister-in-law Marie. After about two years, with encouragement from Josephine’s brother Tony and his wife Betty who lived in Wayne, they bought a home on Stonycroft Road in Wayne where Jack and Josephine would raise their family. After her husband Jack’s passing in 2012, Josephine moved to live in Mays Landing.
Josephine and Jack met when they were introduced to each other by a friend while attending a dance at the Genro’s Dance Hall. He was just back from his service in the United States Army in Korea. Their friendship grew into love and they married on January 16, 1960 at the Morningside Chapel in Haledon. They honeymooned in Atlantic City and have enjoyed a loving and devoted marriage of over fifty years. Music was a part of their first date and followed them throughout their years together. They loved big band music and tried to go out dancing every Saturday night. If they weren’t able to go out they would put on music and dance the Foxtrot and Jitterbug in the kitchen. Now Jack was Irish and Josephine was the only one of her siblings not to marry an Italian. Jack was welcomed in to the family and was soon swept up into the traditions of a large Italian family. He was as Italian as an Irishman could be attending huge family meals, making wine, and spending every holiday together - he even did the seven fish dinners with the family on Christmas. Josephine truly loved Jack and he loved her.
When remembering Josephine you have to know she loved going to the Jersey Shore as often as possible. Many fond family memories were made with day trips to Belmar and visits to family in Ortley Beach. For several years, on August 15, they would stay in Bradley Beach for the Feast of the Assumption where friends and family would parade to the ocean, throw floral wreaths into the water, and return to a big barbeque and music. She was also an accomplished golfer having traveled all across the United States to play. Her home course was Passaic County Golf Course in Wayne where she served as the president of the Ladies League many years ago. She has dozens of golf trophies and truly loved the game. Most of all Josephine will be remembered as a character. She was fun loving, always had a smile, would kid with you constantly, and had a come-back line for just about anything you said to her.
She was the loving wife of fifty-two years to her husband John Smith (2012); devoted mother of John Smith and his partner Barbara of Lyndhurst, Laura Keiter and her husband John of Somers Point; cherished grandmother of Patrick and William Keiter; dear sister of the late Mary Cioce, Alma Camolilia, Tony, John, and Frank Russo. Much loved sister-in-law of Patricia Hakusa. She will also be missed by loving nieces, nephews, and many caring cousins.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,, PO Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142 or at www.stjude.org, would be greatly appreciated.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from 4-8 PM on Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9 AM on Thursday, July 28, 2016 from the funeral home then to Our Lady of the Valley RC Church, 630 Valley Road, Wayne where a 10 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Entombment will be in Garden of Memories Mausoleum, Washington Township.
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 4-8 PM on Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9 AM on Thursday, July 28, 2016 from the funeral home then to Our Lady of the Valley RC Church, 630 Valley Road, Wayne where a 10 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Entombment will be in Garden of Memories Mausoleum, Washington Township.
Josephine “Joanne” Smith (nee Russo) age 86 of Mays Landing, formerly a forty-eight year resident of Wayne, passed peacefully on Saturday, July 23, 2016.
She was born, the youngest child of six, to Louis and Ann Russo in Brooklyn, New York. She was raised on Martha Place in Passaic, New Jersey before the family moved to Clifton where Josephine graduated from Clifton High School with the Class of 1947. After high school she graduated from Drake College in Passaic.
Beginning her working career with American Loose Leaf Company, Josephine’s soon joined the Curtis Wright Corporation in Clifton where she worked as a secretary for many years. Many will remember her unofficial nickname of “Mrs. Macy” as she worked at the Men’s Fragrance counter at the Macys Department Store in Willowbrook Mall for many years.
In 1960 Josephine married John “Jack” Smith and the newly married couple lived on South Parkway in Clifton with her brother John and sister-in-law Marie. After about two years, with encouragement from Josephine’s brother Tony and his wife Betty who lived in Wayne, they bought a home on Stonycroft Road in Wayne where Jack and Josephine would raise their family. After her husband Jack’s passing in 2012, Josephine moved to live in Mays Landing.
Josephine and Jack met when they were introduced to each other by a friend while attending a dance at the Genro’s Dance Hall. He was just back from his service in the United States Army in Korea. Their friendship grew into love and they married on January 16, 1960 at the Morningside Chapel in Haledon. They honeymooned in Atlantic City and have enjoyed a loving and devoted marriage of over fifty years. Music was a part of their first date and followed them throughout their years together. They loved big band music and tried to go out dancing every Saturday night. If they weren’t able to go out they would put on music and dance the Foxtrot and Jitterbug in the kitchen. Now Jack was Irish and Josephine was the only one of her siblings not to marry an Italian. Jack was welcomed in to the family and was soon swept up into the traditions of a large Italian family. He was as Italian as an Irishman could be attending huge family meals, making wine, and spending every holiday together - he even did the seven fish dinners with the family on Christmas. Josephine truly loved Jack and he loved her.
When remembering Josephine you have to know she loved going to the Jersey Shore as often as possible. Many fond family memories were made with day trips to Belmar and visits to family in Ortley Beach. For several years, on August 15, they would stay in Bradley Beach for the Feast of the Assumption where friends and family would parade to the ocean, throw floral wreaths into the water, and return to a big barbeque and music. She was also an accomplished golfer having traveled all across the United States to play. Her home course was Passaic County Golf Course in Wayne where she served as the president of the Ladies League many years ago. She has dozens of golf trophies and truly loved the game. Most of all Josephine will be remembered as a character. She was fun loving, always had a smile, would kid with you constantly, and had a come-back line for just about anything you said to her.
She was the loving wife of fifty-two years to her husband John Smith (2012); devoted mother of John Smith and his partner Barbara of Lyndhurst, Laura Keiter and her husband John of Somers Point; cherished grandmother of Patrick and William Keiter; dear sister of the late Mary Cioce, Alma Camolilia, Tony, John, and Frank Russo. Much loved sister-in-law of Patricia Hakusa. She will also be missed by loving nieces, nephews, and many caring cousins.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,, PO Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142 or at www.stjude.org, would be greatly appreciated.
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