Theresa Giordano

Theresa Joan Giordano (Messineo), age 93, of Bloomingdale and formerly of Pompton Lakes and Florida, passed away peacefully on Tuesday afternoon, January 10, 2023.

Born in New York City, Theresa was the oldest of parents Frank and Rose (Rigano) Messineo’s three children and was raised in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn, New York, She eventually moved to Passaic and Fair Lawn, NJ. After graduating from high school, she worked as a telephone switchboard operator. If you close your eyes and think back, you could almost hear her greeting someone who dialed “O”…..”Operator, what’s the number?”

In 1948, Theresa married Anthony “Tony” Giordano and they moved to 21 East Sixth Street in Clifton. There, they were blessed with their first three children: Joanne, Patty, and Debbie. With three kids, that house got too small so the moved to 160 Washington Avenue in Clifton. There, they caught lightning in a bottle when “Baby Susan” was born.

With four little ones, Theresa dedicated herself to being a full-time homemaker and mother to her children. Who could ask for a better mom than Theresa? She poured herself into her children’s lives, volunteering as a member of the school PTA and attending all of their school events and milestone moments. She was a fantastic baker and her children were the lucky recipients of all her delicious treats. Theresa could often be seen in the kitchen with her daughters by her side. They in turn became skilled bakers who passed it on to their children.

When her children reached an age of relative independence, Theresa returned to the workplace where she worked as a school’s switchboard operator. She later moved to Florida and worked in sales.

In the 1980’s, Theresa met The Lord Jesus Christ when her daughter invited her to a church in Clifton. She soon grew in her newfound faith and her walk with the Lord lead her to Calvary Temple in Wayne. She was even there for the groundbreaking of the church’s new location on Preakness Ave. Throughout the years Theresa loved the Sunday worship services, the music that energized her soul and drew her closer to God’s side through praise and encouragement, the life-giving messages from Pastor Fogel, and the sisters and brothers in the Lord whom she attended with. She volunteered in many capacities at Calvary and one of the all-time highlights of her life was getting to take a trip to the Holy Land.

As a young woman, Theresa enjoyed bowling and she also loved to dance. She even took lessons at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio. When Christ came into her heart, she developed a habit of reading His word, the Holy Bible regularly. It became one of her favorite pastimes. Her other favorite activity was spending time with her children and grandchildren. She was the most fun grandmother a kid could hope for and she loved to spoil them with little gifts that she’d get for them from The Dollar Store. Theresa's grandchildren affectionately referred to her as “Grandma with the orange hair” and some of them thought she lived on an airplane because she went to Florida so much.

Theresa would be the first to admit that her life was not always easy. That’s probably why one of her favorite readings from the Bible was Psalm 23. Today her family mourns her passing but they are grateful to God for her life and they are happy the words of Psalm 23 verse 6 are now a realized reality for her.

Psalm 23:6
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Theresa was the most loving mother of: Joanne Martino (predeceased in 2009) and her husband Ray of Hewitt, Patty Sudol (predeceased in 2021) and her husband Ronnie of Toms River, Debra DiGiorgio and husband Lex of Wayne, and Susan Lopez and her husband Ray of Pompton Lakes; adoring grandmother of: Michele Martino (predeceased in 2017), Roseanne Gonzalez and husband Jayson, Tina Martino, Ron Sudol, Jr. and wife Nicole, Gina Lopez and her partner Bob, Chris Lopez and wife Kate, Marissa Buklad and husband Corey, Joey DiGiorgio, and Anthony DiGiorgio (predeceased in 2020); cherished great-grandmother of: Carissa, Hayley, Joseph aka “J.J.”, Roman, Raylen, Emma, Ethan, Nora, Mason, and Noah; dear sister of Frank Messineo and wife Julie of Lacy Township, and Georgia Allen of Punta Gorda, Florida; and dear aunt of her nieces and nephews. Theresa was also predeceased by her former husband Anthony in 2016.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Theresa’s name are asked to consider donations to one of the following worthy organizations:

Health Center at Bloomingdale
Attention:  Recreation Committee
255 Union Avenue
Bloomingdale, NJ 07403

Calvary Temple
1111 Preakness Avenue
Wayne, NJ 07470