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Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Thursday, October 6, 2016 from 4-8 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, October 7, 2016 at 9:30 AM from the funeral home, then to Immaculate Heart of Mary R.C. Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne, where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Entombment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Paterson.
Mary Tropona, age 86 of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 4, 2016.
Mary was born in Hackensack, the youngest of Pasquale and Concetta Terranova’s three children. She was raised in Clifton, then Passaic, graduating from Passaic High School with the Class of 1948.
After high school, Mary went to work for Household Finance Mortgage Company in Passaic. One day while working there, she was held up by a robber. The assailant approached Mary, telling her to give him all the money. She tried to cooperate but was so scared, she could hardly move. Ultimately, the robber got what he wanted but, happily, Mary lived to tell the story.
Mary met her husband to be, Peter Tropona on a blind date. Mary and Peter had their first date at a dance which was an activity that Mary really enjoyed. They fell in love and got engaged before Peter was called to serve as a soldier in the U.S. Army in Korea.
While Peter was overseas, Mary continued in her job at Household Finance, getting rides to and from work from her good friend Emil Maggio. When Peter came home, he and Mary exchanged their marital vows before family and friends at St. Anthony’s Church in Passaic on April 19, 1953. Their wedding was followed by a grand reception – the first formal reception anyone in Mary’s family ever had! They honeymooned in Florida then continued their lives in Passaic. Mary soon gave birth to her daughter Patricia and later to her son Peter. She settled into her role as homemaker and mother, taking a very active role in their school’s PTA before returning to work as a part-time bookkeeper for Prospect Toy Store in Passaic when her son Peter was old enough. She ultimately went to work full-time as office manager for that good friend Emil Maggio who was now “Dr. Emil Maggio” and his partners Dr. Richard Stefanacci and Dr. Paul DeMuro in their practice in Passaic. Mary enjoyed a career there that spanned over 20 years.
One of Mary’s greatest passions of life was playing cards. A fierce competitor, Mary was always up for a game of rummy, pinochle or poker. In fact, so great was her passion for cards, for almost 30 years, she’d get together every Friday night with girlfriends from high school to play poker over each other’s houses. She and Peter also frequently got together with mutual friends, holding marathon card game tournaments that went on all weekend, especially if the weekend fell on a holiday. Of course, Mary took her share of bus trips to gamble with friends in Atlantic City, and flights to Las Vegas to gamble with Peter too.
Mary’s love of cards was only matched by the adoration she had for her family. She cherished time spent with her grandchildren teaching them card games, going to their sporting events and dance recitals, and spoiling them with gifts at Christmas and for their birthdays.
She was devoted in her faith to God and was an almost life-long parishioner of St. Anthony’s Parish in Passaic.
Mary was a fanatic about most aspects of her life. Her motto was “do it right or don’t do it at all.” That’s how she lived – loving fiercely, speaking her mind, often time peppering what she had to say with a great sense of humor.
Mary is survived by her loving daughter Patricia and husband John Ferrarella of Wayne, her loving son Peter and wife Judy Tropona of Pompton Plains; her six cherished grandchildren: John, Matthew, Peter, Jude, Justin, and Vanessa; her dear brother Michael Terranova of Silver Beach, NJ; numerous nieces and nephews; and her dear friends Judy and Albert Gioia. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 31 years - Peter G. and her brother Vincent.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Mary’s name are asked to consider St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142, www.stjude.org
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Thursday, October 6, 2016 from 4-8 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, October 7, 2016 at 9:30 AM from the funeral home, then to Immaculate Heart of Mary R.C. Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne, where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Entombment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Paterson.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Thursday, October 6, 2016 from 4-8 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, October 7, 2016 at 9:30 AM from the funeral home, then to Immaculate Heart of Mary R.C. Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne, where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Entombment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Paterson.
Mary Tropona, age 86 of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 4, 2016.
Mary was born in Hackensack, the youngest of Pasquale and Concetta Terranova’s three children. She was raised in Clifton, then Passaic, graduating from Passaic High School with the Class of 1948.
After high school, Mary went to work for Household Finance Mortgage Company in Passaic. One day while working there, she was held up by a robber. The assailant approached Mary, telling her to give him all the money. She tried to cooperate but was so scared, she could hardly move. Ultimately, the robber got what he wanted but, happily, Mary lived to tell the story.
Mary met her husband to be, Peter Tropona on a blind date. Mary and Peter had their first date at a dance which was an activity that Mary really enjoyed. They fell in love and got engaged before Peter was called to serve as a soldier in the U.S. Army in Korea.
While Peter was overseas, Mary continued in her job at Household Finance, getting rides to and from work from her good friend Emil Maggio. When Peter came home, he and Mary exchanged their marital vows before family and friends at St. Anthony’s Church in Passaic on April 19, 1953. Their wedding was followed by a grand reception – the first formal reception anyone in Mary’s family ever had! They honeymooned in Florida then continued their lives in Passaic. Mary soon gave birth to her daughter Patricia and later to her son Peter. She settled into her role as homemaker and mother, taking a very active role in their school’s PTA before returning to work as a part-time bookkeeper for Prospect Toy Store in Passaic when her son Peter was old enough. She ultimately went to work full-time as office manager for that good friend Emil Maggio who was now “Dr. Emil Maggio” and his partners Dr. Richard Stefanacci and Dr. Paul DeMuro in their practice in Passaic. Mary enjoyed a career there that spanned over 20 years.
One of Mary’s greatest passions of life was playing cards. A fierce competitor, Mary was always up for a game of rummy, pinochle or poker. In fact, so great was her passion for cards, for almost 30 years, she’d get together every Friday night with girlfriends from high school to play poker over each other’s houses. She and Peter also frequently got together with mutual friends, holding marathon card game tournaments that went on all weekend, especially if the weekend fell on a holiday. Of course, Mary took her share of bus trips to gamble with friends in Atlantic City, and flights to Las Vegas to gamble with Peter too.
Mary’s love of cards was only matched by the adoration she had for her family. She cherished time spent with her grandchildren teaching them card games, going to their sporting events and dance recitals, and spoiling them with gifts at Christmas and for their birthdays.
She was devoted in her faith to God and was an almost life-long parishioner of St. Anthony’s Parish in Passaic.
Mary was a fanatic about most aspects of her life. Her motto was “do it right or don’t do it at all.” That’s how she lived – loving fiercely, speaking her mind, often time peppering what she had to say with a great sense of humor.
Mary is survived by her loving daughter Patricia and husband John Ferrarella of Wayne, her loving son Peter and wife Judy Tropona of Pompton Plains; her six cherished grandchildren: John, Matthew, Peter, Jude, Justin, and Vanessa; her dear brother Michael Terranova of Silver Beach, NJ; numerous nieces and nephews; and her dear friends Judy and Albert Gioia. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 31 years - Peter G. and her brother Vincent.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Mary’s name are asked to consider St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142, www.stjude.org
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