Maria Scialba

Maria Scialba (nee Zapparrata), age 84, of Woodland Park, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, November 14, 2019.

Maria was born in southern Italy, in the town of Vittoria, in the province of Ragusa, Sicily. While growing up there, Maria met a fine gentleman by the name of Giuseppe Scialba by the help of some friends who introduced them to each other. They soon fell in love but, when Maria’s brother Giovanni urged her to come to the United States in the early 1960’s, she found herself in a struggle between love and the promise of greater opportunities in a new land. She ultimately chose a better life in America, but she and Giuseppe kept the love-light burning through regular written correspondence. Maria looked forward to receiving love letters from Giuseppe, always marveling at how romantic they were. She got the best of both worlds in 1967 when Giuseppe joined her in the U.S. and they married a year later on November 9, 1968 at St. Anthony’s Church in Paterson with a reception following at the North Pole Restaurant in Lodi.

After the wedding, Maria and Giuseppe’s first home was an apartment in Paterson. While there, they welcomed two beautiful children – first their son John followed by their daughter Rosa. They later moved to their own home in Elmwood Park. Maria settled into a life she quickly came to love and embrace as a loving wife, caring mother and meticulous homemaker. She made her home the most warm and welcoming place you would every want to be and, thanks to her excellent skills as an amazing cook and baker, the house was always filled with the delicious smells of her culinary creations. Her son John’s favorite was Maria’s Manicotti which she made every year for his birthday, and Rosa’s favorite was her mom’s Focaccia Bread, filled with homemade sauce, onion, and ricotta. For dessert, nothing could beat Maria’s lemon cookies and lemon Bundt Cake, or her delicious jello molds, and she really enjoyed exploring new recipes and trying them out on her family and friends.

The holidays were always special in the Scialba home as Maria loved to decorate and have all of the family together for Christmas. Every Halloween, her children had the coolest costumes which Maria sewed herself. In fact she was an excellent seamstress who could make anything and she loved the experience the whole time she was creating a new outfit.

Without a doubt, Maria’s greatest passions were for her family and her faith. One of her greatest memories was traveling back to her homeland in Italy on a family vacation with her husband Giuseppe and her children. She enjoyed showing John and Rosa the places she played as a child and they also included some travel through France and Spain. In her later years, Maria found it to be such a joy to hear the laughter and see the exuberance of her five grandchildren. When Maria was young, she had a beautiful dog which she grew very close to. Sadly, the dog passed away at a young age. Afraid it would happen again, she never got another dog for herself or her children, wanting to shield them from that pain of loss. But as her children grew older, they got their own dogs – John had Gigi and Rosa had Lexi and currently has CiCi. Throughout recent years, Maria grew to love those pooches as if they were part of the family.

Maria’s faith in God was a cornerstone pillar of her life. It was this love of God that help guide her to be a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and sister. She always did her very best to reflect God’s perfect love to everyone. For many years, she was a parishioner of St. Leo’s Roman Catholic Church in her hometown of Elmwood Park and she was devoted to St. Padre Pio.

Maria was an amazing woman who did such an excellent job creating a safe, warm and inviting place to gather and share life and laughter. With great sorrow, she lost her husband Giuseppe in 2008. She continued to live in Elmwood Park until three years ago when she joined her son John in his home in Woodland Park.      

Maria was the beloved wife of Giuseppe, blessed in marriage for 39 years until his passing in 2008. She was the most loving mother of John Scialba of Woodland Park, and Rosa and husband Marc Cinque of North Caldwell; adored grandmother of: Darren James “D.J.”, Stevie, Alec, Alana, and Adam; and dear aunt of several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother and sister: John “Giovanni Zapparrata and Giovanna Giacchi.

MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTION INFORMATION

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Maria’s name are asked to consider:

The American Cancer Society

7 Ridgedale Avenue, Suite 103,

Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927

To donate online visit: www.cancer.org

The ALS Association of Greater New York Chapter

42 Broadway, Suite 1724,

New York, NY 10004

To donate online visit: www.als-ny.org