Pamela Marjorie Sastre

Pamela Marjorie Sastre, age 69, of Oakridge, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 23, 2026.

Pam was born to Joe and Marge Sastre and spent her earliest years in North Arlington before the family settled in Packanack Lake in Wayne, New Jersey. When Pam was just six years old, her father passed away unexpectedly, leaving Marge to raise Pam and her brother Chuck by herself. In time, Marge found love again with a man named Walter Smith, who embraced Pam and Chuck as his own. Walter’s son Greg joined the family as well, giving Pam another brother and an even greater family.

A natural intellectual, Pam graduated from Wayne Valley High School and went on to study at the University of Rhode Island. She joined Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, competed as a coxswain on the school rowing team, and somewhere along the way adopted a stray cat she named Taji, who would go on to be a companion of hers for the next twenty years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in dietetics, but on her way to her first internship, Pam had a moment of honest self-reflection. She didn’t want to spend her career behind a desk. She wanted to care for people directly so she pivoted, enrolling at Bloomfield College to study nursing.

While in nursing school, Pam began working at Passaic General Hospital as a student nurse. The hospital, recognizing her talent and drive, offered to cover her education in exchange for a four-year commitment following graduation. It was a deal she honored and then some. After graduating, Pam excelled at Passaic General and eventually rose to lead the Cardiac Catheterization Lab while also completing her Master’s degree.

It was through a coed softball team at the hospital that Pam met Ron Pierantozzi. It didn’t take long for the two to fall in love and about eighteen months later the couple were married. Together, they started a family being blessed with three children: RJ, Jon, and Taylor. Devoted to her family above all else, Pam left her hospital position not long after RJ was born and channeled her expertise and compassion into a new role as a school nurse in the West Milford School District.

Pam and her family had a deep love for the outdoors. They camped and backpacked through some of the most beautiful landscapes in the northeast: Canada, New York State, and the Appalachian Mountains with a special fondness for Otter Lake Campgrounds in Pennsylvania where they owned a permanent site and made countless memories with friends over softball, biking, fireworks, and evenings around the fire. They also spent many summer days vacationing at the beach with Cape Cod, the Outer Banks, and Point Pleasant all becoming favorite destinations over the years.

Pam was hardworking and determined, sharp-minded and warm-hearted, and tough to those she loved, but endlessly caring. She will be deeply missed by all those lucky enough to get to know her.

Pam is predeceased by her father Joe Sastre Sr., her brother Chuck Sastre Jr., and her cat Taji.

She is survived by her mother Marge Smith; her brother Greg Smith; her children: RJ Pierantozzi, Jon Pierantozzi, and Taylor Pierantozzi; her grandchildren: Giovanni Pierantozzi, Mateo DeJesus, and Wilfredo DeJesus; her nieces and nephews: Joseph Sastre, Chantall Sastre, Matt Smith, and Doug Smith; and her dog Darcy and cat Maddison.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Pam’s name to the Packanack Lake Community Church would be greatly appreciated.