Carmen Albert Della Bella

Beloved Patriarch and WWII Vet

Carmen Della Bella, 86, of Toms River and formerly of Hillsborough, NJ, passed away on September 8 after a long illness. He is survived by his wife, Marie, and son, Mark, of Toms River, son, Peter and daughter-in-law, Jodi Paroff of Montclair, their children, Lucas and Rachel, and extended family. Carmen is pre-deceased by his beloved sister, Suzanne Pilato. Carmen was born and raised in Jersey City and attended high school at St. Cecilia, where he was taught and coached by Vincent Lombardi. He took leave from college in 1943 to join the Marines and fight in the South Pacific, eventually fighting with a Howitzer battalion on the beach of Iwo Jima. He later completed his degree in Mechanical Engineering at Rutgers and married Marie Sottilare in 1949. Carmen worked in tne electronics industry, serving as a plant manager for RCA in Detroit before returning to New Jersey in the 1970s. He founded an electronics consulting and sales firm, ECI, and lived in Hillsborough for over twenty years while active in coaching and supporting youth sports. He retired to Toms River in the early 90s and continued to play golf and bridge before becoming ill. Carmen loved his grandchildren dearly and will be greatly missed by his family. There will be a memorial mass at St. Luke Roman Catholic Church in Tom’s River at 10:30 on Tuesday, September 14. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society at www.nmcrs.org.