Elizabeth Parietti

Elizabeth Parietti, 89, passed away peacefully at home with family on Thursday, February 26th. A devoted mother, grandmother, nurse, and educator, she leaves behind many who adored her and will miss her deeply.

Independent and driven by a quiet strength from a young age, Elizabeth was born in Queens, NY. She spent her youth navigating NYC subways to attend Catholic school in Manhattan. Later she went on to attend the College of Mount Saint Vincent’s School of Nursing where her boundless energy earned her the nickname “Buzzy.” It was during her early nursing career that she met her husband, Frank (“Pepper”), while she was providing care for one of his friends. They married in April 1958 and initially settled in Nyack before moving to Spook Rock Road in Suffern, where they remained.

Elizabeth’s life was defined by great love, faith, and resilience. She and Pepper thrived during 48 years of marriage, raising eight children who remained her primary focus. Whether it was camping, wrestling, Little League, scouting, or canoeing, she and Pepper were "all-in" on every one of their children's endeavors. Life was often a chaotic blur of activity punctuated by occasional trips to the ER for injuries incurred in various recreational pursuits—but everyone survived unscathed. She loved being a mom more than anything—it was fundamentally what she was about. She took immense pride in seeing them grow to be successful and accomplished in their various fields, often traveling widely to stay present in their lives. In later years, her beloved grandchildren became the light of her life, bringing her immeasurable joy and pride.

A highly intelligent and insightful clinician, Elizabeth built a distinguished career as a nurse educator. She did her two master’s theses and her doctoral dissertation on a typewriter amidst the whirlwind of a house with eight children, occasionally using her car as a "peaceful oasis" to find the silence needed to focus. She became a bastion of support for nursing education at various institutions, including SUNY Binghamton, UMDNJ, and Fairleigh Dickinson University. She successfully secured funding that strengthened nursing programs and community centers, providing the financial means for countless individuals to obtain their degrees. While supervising her students, she remained the efficient, funny, hardworking ER provider who would see even the most challenging patients gladly and with keen interest.

Her curiosity and thirst for knowledge never waned; in her later career she became a Certified Nurse-Midwife and then a Nurse Practitioner degree. She never ceased to encourage those around her to reach for the sky.

Her surviving family will forever carry her spirit of tenacity, her intellectual curiosity, and her unwavering belief in the power of education and family.

She was predeceased by her husband, Frank Kenneth Parietti; her infant son, Mark McMahon Parietti; and her brother, William.

She is survived by her children: Christopher; Patrick; Michael; Daniel (with his wife Carmen) and their children Sara, Elena, Lucas, and Luisa; Thomas and his children Russell, Matthew, and Robert; Timothy (with his wife Irene) and their child Grace; Ellen (with her husband Vasilios) and their children Jerry, Sofia, Teddy, and Elizabeth; and Molly (with her husband Michael) and their children Mars, John, Ezra, and Franklin.

The family extends their deepest gratitude to her faithful aides—Yasmine, Carmen, and Guerta—for their years of compassionate care and companionship.

Visitation will be held at Wanamaker & Carlough Funeral Home, 177 Route 59, Suffern, NY 10901, US, on March 3, 2026, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at Sacred Heart, 129 Lafayette Ave, Suffern, NY 10901, US, on March 4, 2026, from 10:30 am to 11:30 am.

Burial Following Funeral Mass will be at St. Anthony's Catholic Cemetery, 36 W Nyack Rd, Nanuet, NY 10954, US, on March 4, 2026, from 11:45 am to 12:15 pm.