Elizabeth Mangini

She was born to Julia and Gaetano Giordano in Brooklyn, NY on June 28, 1927. She married Carl Mangini, with whom she had three children. She is survived by her three children, Joseph, Janet, and Susan, as well as her four grandchildren, Gregory, Jonathan, Jonathan (yes, there are two), and Jaycie.

Although her family does not know the exact secret to Elizabeth’s long and happy life, they do have a few theories:

Elizabeth had a zest for adventure and traveled all over the world, visiting beautiful destinations like Alaska, Hawaii, and Italy (though she did wish Italy had air conditioning). She always urged people to go out and see the world while they could, and loved seeing pictures from trips that her children and grandchildren took.

Like any good Italian, she loved her food. She is fondly remembered for her motto, “when I was young, I ate whatever I wanted because I had a fast metabolism. Now that I’m old, I still eat whatever I want to because I enjoy it.” A relic of the Great Depression, Elizabeth was famous for wasting nothing. Her family consistently made fun of her for using expired mayonnaise and cutting the mold off of old onions instead of simply buying fresh ones, but Elizabeth had the last laugh, living to the ripe age of 95 in almost perfect health (maybe eating a little mold every now and then is the secret to a long life? At the very least, enjoying every meal contributed to her happiness).

Then, of course, there was Elizabeth’s delightfully carefree attitude towards life. Although her children may not have inherited this particular attribute, it was one of the defining qualities that made Elizabeth who she was. She was famous for saying some iteration of, “don’t worry, everything is going to be all right,” and again, she had the last laugh, because everything always was.

Most importantly, Elizabeth loved her family. She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend to many, and whenever anybody needed something, she would be there.

Nobody knows the exact recipe for a long and healthy life, but good food, loving family, a sense of adventure, and a laidback attitude are certainly ingredients that Elizabeth used liberally. If you would like to celebrate her life, her family recommends going on that trip you’ve been putting off, spending some quality time with your loved ones, eating that extra slice of crumb cake, and going with the flow.

A funeral mass for Elizabeth will be held Saturday, May 13, 2023 from 10:45 AM to 11:30 AM at Our Lady of Grace Roman Catholic Church, 430 Avenue W, Brooklyn, NY 11223. Following the funeral mass will be an interment from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM at St. John Cemetery, 80-01 Metropolitan Avenue, Middle Village, NY 11379.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cusimanoandrussofuneralhome.com for the Mangini family.