Ann A. Vitale

Ann Vitale (nee Sutera), 96, of Bloomfield, NJ, beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother who loved her family dearly, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at the Job Haines Nursing Home in Bloomfield, NJ.

Ann was born and raised in Newark, NJ. She moved to Bloomfield, NJ in 1964 and lived there until 2011. She then moved to Nutley, NJ, where she resided until moving to the Job Haines Nursing Home in September 2023. Most people knew Ann as the smiling face behind the counter at Vitale's Bakery at the corners of Stone and Crane Streets in Newark, where she sold Italian bread crafted by her husband, Rendy. She later worked in the offices of Essex Welding and then Hobart Welder Sales & Service in Newark, NJ, and later at Gamarel Electric and Peerless Tube Company. Ann also worked at Air Brake and Equipment Company in Hillside, NJ until her retirement. However, not one to sit idle, she then became a quickly beloved volunteer at Clara Maass Hospital in Belleville, NJ, where her daughter, Annette, worked as a physical therapy aide.

After the passing of her husband, Rendy, in 1978, Ann worked and lived independently in her own home with her daughter, Annette. Ann will be missed every day by all those who knew her. She was the cherished wife of the late Auriente “Rendy“ Vitale and is survived by her devoted children, son, Michael Vitale, and his wife, Andrea (Horvat); daughter, Annette Vitale; her grandchildren, Olivia (and her husband Matt Strazewski), and Dominic (and his wife Laura Ward); her great-grandchildren, Selah, Gabriel, Enzo, Nico and Jordan, her loving nieces and nephews and many friends. Some called her Mom and Grandma, some "Ann Ann" or "Auntie Ann" and some "just "Ann," but everyone who knew her loved her.

Ann was a great cook and baker. Her almond cookies were known far and wide throughout northern New Jersey. She also passed along her recipes for gravy, meatballs, and lasagna to her daughter-in-law, Andrea, where they continue to make so many people (including Ann's son, Michael, and his children) happy and full in St. Louis, MO.

The family will receive guests at McCracken Funeral Home, 1500 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ on Friday, March 21, 2025, from 9 AM to 11:30 AM. Following the visitation, a mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at Holy Spirit Church, 971 Suburban Rd., corner of Morris Avenue, Union, NJ, at noon. Interment will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Bloomfield, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ann's name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or online at https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html