Margherita Aliotta Ciciulla, age 65, of Wayne, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, June 1, 2018.

Born in Gela, Italy, in 1953, at the age of fourteen, she emigrated to the USA in 1967 with her parents and four brothers and two sisters to pursue the American dream. They settled in Paterson, New Jersey.

Margherita soon reconnected with another immigrant she knew from growing up in Sicily, Mario Ciciulla. After some travel and service in the Italian Merchant Marines, Mario returned to New Jersey and he and Margherita fell in love and exchanged their wedding vows on August 19, 1971. They stayed in Paterson and, with the blessed arrival of their firstborn – a baby girl who they named Nella, Margherita quickly settled into her role as caring, loving, and nurturing mother. Early in her marriage and while Nella was a toddler, Margherita also worked in Paterson as a seamstress. As their family grew they moved into their first home in Fair Lawn with Baby Maria joining the family in 1975 and Baby Giuseppe in 1979. Fair Lawn proved to be a great place to raise her family and Margherita enthusiastically poured her lively and vivacious self into the lives of her children while simultaneously making the house a warm and welcome place to be. Mario and Margherita’s house also became the go-to place for all extended family occasions because of Margherita’s genuine gift for making occasions really special. Her welcoming warmth and energy were attractive traits but there was also no debate about who was the best cook in the family. Without a doubt, that title belonged to Margherita and only to Margherita! In fact, to her family, she was the best cook in the world who could have been a world renowned chef.  Margherita knew all of the recipes her mother taught her as well as a few of her own, by heart. There was no measuring! Just a little pinch of this and a little bit of that – it was all by touch, taste and smell. The downside to her culinary talents became apparent when Margherita dined out. Her criticism of what she was served was just down-right embarrassing to family and friends who chose to dine out with her. She would have been tough company to contend with on the Food Network or the Cooking Channel but there were a couple of restaurants worth mentioning that should be very honored to know that they achieved Margherita’s approval - Varka in Ramsey and Gigino at Wagner Park with Statue of Liberty views. In general, her favorite dish was blue crabs. They would be piled three feet high while her family eagerly waited for Margherita to finish.

On weekdays between 2:00 P.M. and 5:00 P.M., and most weekends too, everyone knew where they could find Margherita. Guaranteed, she’d be with her friends playing cards. This was truly one of her favorite forms of entertainment as it afforded her the competitive challenge countered by the love of being in the company of those she enjoyed spending leisurely time with. When home she also enjoyed staying in close touch with her Italian roots by watching broadcasts on Italian television networks and also listening to Italian music with favorite artist including Andrea Bocelli and Amedeo Minghi. She also found it extremely satisfying to spend time in the sunshine, especially down the shore at Wildwood, LBI and Cape May as well as Aruba.

Above all else, Margherita’s greatest love of all was for her family. Her grandchildren became “Nonna’s” greatest joy and passion and she’d stop heaven and earth in a heartbeat, day or night, to be there for them. Sadly, in 1998, just a few days shy of their 27th wedding anniversary, Margherita’s beloved husband Mario passed away after an untimely battle with Leukemia.

Eventually Margherita took a full-time sales position with Fortunoff in Wayne where she was helpful and friendly if you needed assistance with the purchase of a small appliance. Just like in every other facet of her life, for the ten years that she worked at Fortunoff, she poured herself into her work and especially enjoyed creating beautiful displays and working with her fellow associates with whom she established friendships. In 1999, she said goodbye to her home in Fair Lawn and moved to Wayne.

From her huge smile that just lit up every room she walked into, to her blunt in a nurturing kind of way honesty, to her loving, warm and sweet sense of humor, to the pride she took in her family and anything she set herself to do, Margherita’s memory will be forever cherished by her family and friends who loved her and they will miss her so very much.

Margherita was the beloved wife of the late Mario Ciciulla; loving mother of Nella and husband John W. Ras of Wayne, Maria and husband Erik Maher of Midland Park, and Giuseppe  and wife Tracy Ciciulla of Franklin Lakes; cherished grandmother of Victoria, John, Jake, Luke, Mila, and Joie; precious daughter of the late Michele Aliotta and the late Maria Alparone Aliotta; and dear sister of Francesco and wife Joanne Aliotta, Anthony and wife Estella Aliotta, Giuseppa Colli and husband George Hermann, Rosetta and the late Filippo Mannisi, the late Rosario Aliotta and wife Lina, and the late Guiseppe Aliotta.

Those planning an expression of sympathy in Margherita’s name may consider sending flowers or making a memorial donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959 (www.stjude.org).