Susan Maffei

Susan Maffei, age 92, of Wayne, passed away on Sunday, November 22, 2020 while in the loving presence of her family.

Susan was born in Wanaque and raised there for the early part of her childhood before moving to Paterson.

After attending Paterson’s Central High School, Susan went to school to become a licensed beautician. Her first job in her chosen profession was joining her sister Josephine at her beauty shop in Fair Lawn.

As a young lady, Susan enjoyed singing. Consequently, she was once asked to sing at a wedding which took place at the Haledon Fire Department. It was there that she met a handsome fireman named David Maffei. They soon fell in love and married on Sunday, September 14, 1947 at St. Michael’s Church in Paterson. After a honeymoon in Niagara Falls, they settled into their first home together in Haledon.

Soon after marriage, Susan and David were blessed with two beautiful daughters, Linda and Nancy. Susan put away her beauty shop scissors so that she could focus all of her loving care on raising her growing daughters. She enjoyed being home with them and her favorite room in the house was her kitchen. She was an outstanding cook and baker. When asked what their favorite recipes were that Mom made, Linda and Nancy emphatically exclaimed “Her eggplant parmigiana, lasagna, Easter pies….actually, everything!” If you closed your eyes for five seconds, she’d have a pie crust in the pan, and it would be made from scratch.

After her family was grown Susan picked up those beauty shop scissors again. She worked at A Brand New Touch Beauty Salon in Haledon for twenty-three years from 1981 until permanently retiring in 2004.

With extra spare time, Sue concentrated her time on some of her other favorite pastimes – shopping and keeping her house spotless. She was a shopping queen who loved the thrill of finding a great bargain.

For Susan, life was all about faith, family, and friends. She and her husband David were faithful parishioners of St. Gerard’s Church in Paterson while living in Haledon from 1947 to 1998. When her beloved husband passed away that year, Susan moved to Wayne and began attending Our Lady of Consolation Church. Susan’s faith was dear to her and, among other things, it taught her the virtues of caring for others. She would regularly visit shut-inns in nursing homes or go shopping for friends who couldn’t go on their own. Susan loved her family dearly and they will miss the simple things that made her special like seeing her, sharing time with her in the kitchen, and regularly talking with her on the phone.

Susan was the beloved wife of the late David P. Maffei, blessed in marriage for 50 years until his passing in 1998. She was the much-loved mother of Linda Di Mezza and husband Martin of Wayne, and Nancy Adams and husband Larry of Venice, Florida. She also leaves behind five step-grandchildren, thirteen step-great-grandchildren, and four step-great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her two sisters and brother: Josephine Yocamelli, Mary Aslan, and Andrew Della Sala; and one step-grandchild.      

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Susan’s name are asked to consider St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105-9959. To donate online click here www.stjude.org.