Sharon Bellusci

Sharon Bellusci (nee Chanda), age 64 of Wayne, died on Wednesday, December 4, 2019.  She was a first grade teacher at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Wayne for twenty six years.

Sharon grew up in Wayne and graduated from Wayne Hills High School with the class of 1973.  She went on to graduate with a teaching degree from Cedar Crest College in Pennsylvania and began her career in the Paterson public schools.  She eventually settled at JFK Elementary School in Wayne where she has taught the first grade for twenty six years.  She loved her career and loved all the children she’s had the privilege of working with throughout the years.

Sharon loved the beach.  Every summer, she would vacation with her family at Ocean Beach 3 at the Jersey Shore, renting a different house each year.  Once her children were grown, she began vacationing in the islands.  To her, it didn’t matter what island she was on, as long as there was a beach on the ocean, and an all-inclusive buffet…with desserts…lots of desserts.  Sharon loved desserts and sweets, and if you enjoyed a meal with her, you learned quickly that dessert was as important as any part of the meal, and sharing dessert was required!  She also enjoyed reading suspense and drama novels, and Sharon was the world’s most amazing shopper.  Her shopping skills were second to none and she was particularly good at buying gifts.  She was one of those thoughtful people who never went anywhere without a gift.  She was a grateful soul and selfless nearly to a fault.  Just a few days ago, as ill as she was, she ordered a catered breakfast to the teacher’s lounge at JFK Elementary, just to remind her coworkers how much she cared about, and missed them all.  She was a wonderful friend and will be missed by them all.

Sharon met her husband while working at the T-Bowl Pharmacy in Wayne.  Tom Bellusci worked there during his college years and he invited Sharon to go to church with him.  That was their first date, and many more followed.  He eventually proposed in her kitchen, presenting her with a rose that had a ring tied to it.  They married on May 6, 1979 at Our Lady of the Valley RC Church in Wayne, followed by a honeymoon to Hawaii.  Their marriage of forty years was something they worked hard at, but it was perfect in every way.  They loved each other, and actually ‘liked’ each other too, sharing much laughter and lots of fun.  Tom treated her like a princess, and she gladly went with it.  They built a strong family, giving their children the best life they could, including a warm and welcoming home.  Sharon was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother who will be sadly missed by them all.

Sharon is survived by her beloved husband Thomas of Wayne, their two children; Thomas and his wife Amanda of Wayne, and Shannon Parella and her husband Brian of Wayne, her granddaughter; Aria Bellusci of Wayne, and another granddaughter on the way; Aubrey Parella, her father; George Chanda of Wayne, brother; Steven Chanda of Wayne, two sisters-in-law; Ellen Dorso and her husband Al of Pompton Plains, and Rosemary Cramer and her husband James of Pompton Plains, and many nieces, nephews, and dear friends.  She was predeceased by her mother Doris Chanda in 1999.

Donations in Sharon’s memory would be appreciated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959, www.stjude.org.