Wanda Marie Cavalieri

Wanda (Neroni) Cavalieri began her life in Bari, Italy which explains the head turning beauty. Often compared to Elizabeth Taylor, she was often stopped on the street by passers-by thinking she was Liz. She, her mother (Celestina) and sister (Pearl) journeyed to America, when she was two years old, on a ship for a new life in America - then settling in South Philadelphia.

As an avid reader - this most likely helped to form her imagination as she created impromptu plays and skits in her early years at school. Given the chance, she may have done very well on the big screen. But, fortunately for us, she met and married our father, keeping her for us to enjoy as our mother and now in our hearts, forever!

Wanda met her husband, Albert Cavalieri when he arrived to stay in the home of her Aunts' in Philadelphia for his co-op program from MIT. He often said that it was destiny that she was there that day and had opened the door to greet him. He knew from the moment he met her that he would never be the same. They married in 1950. Amazingly enough, the Priest that officiated the ceremony, many years later, would preside over their daughter Denise's wedding at St. Bede's in Holland where he had coincidentally been transferred.

Wanda was self-taught. When she married, she realized quickly that she would need to learn how to cook and LEARN she did. She was an amazing cook! She taught herself how to sew, learned how to make baskets, create jewelry, make interesting pieces of ceramics from scratch, and draw. She knew the importance of giving those lessons to her daughters who carried on the traditions in their own homes. She instilled respect, the importance of family and motherhood, and a focus on style to her daughters. With our father, he had shown our brother through example how to be a gentleman.

Our mother and father’s impact on our lives is profound. We will miss our calls, her unbelievable love (although she had dementia she never forgot her children), seeing her light up when we visited and her wonderful, wonderful laugh. There will never be a day we don’t miss her. Forever in our hearts!

Wanda is preceded in death by her husband, Albert, son, Stephen Lewis Cavalieri (Susan), her parents, Celestina and Spartaco Neroni, and her sister, Pearl Wallace. She is survived by her three loving daughters, Denise Fike (Lane), Celeste Ellenberg (Mark), and Marie Floria (Ron), and her brother-in law Walter Cavalieri. She was blessed with two loving grandsons, Hunter and Tyler Fike, three granddaughters, Natalie White, Julia Cavalieri, and Olivia Virecoulon, and five precious great grandchildren, James, Sonia, Ansel, Archer and Theo Fike.

In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to be made in her name to: Large Granular Lymphocytic Leukemia or Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma Society.

There are no services scheduled at this time.