Carmela was born in Pescopagano, Italy in 1930 and immigrated to the United States with her husband Giuseppe and three children in 1959. When Carmela became a single mother at a young age, she and her small family moved in with her parents and younger siblings in East Orange. The closeness and deep connection to family: grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins both nearby and internationally, were born from the challenges she faced as a single working mother in the 1960s. This is the foundation upon which all future generations in her family were raised.
Carmela was a brilliant seamstress, and worked as a foreman for a manufacturer of everything from childrenswear to house robes and beyond. After retirement, Carmela's work ethic did not dwindle. She created a small business for herself in her home, tailoring clothing for people around her neighborhood.
In her spare time, Carmela made clothing for her grandchildren - including Communion dresses and matching outfits for dolls. She enjoyed her garden, planting vibrant flowers and vegetables, and tending to her fig tree. She also loved playing cards and Pokeeno with her close group of lady friends. She was a master pasta-maker, churning out enough ravioli, cavatelli and lasagne to feed her large extended family on holidays and Sunday dinners.
Carmela is predeceased by her husband, Giuseppe, and her daughter Carmelina Mas and also her beloved sisters Maria, Lorenza, and Silvia. She is survived by her children Martha Margarucci and Vincenzo Paolino; her grandchildren Ginetta, Edoardo, Domenico, Marisa, Vincent, Lora, and Michael; and her great-grandchildren Edoardo, Carmelina, Jessica, Lorelai, Joseph, Bianca and Leo Vincenzo and her brother Francesco, as well as countless family members here in the US, Italy, and Canada.
A visitation will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 from 4-8pm at Quinn Hopping Funeral Home, 145 E. Mount Pleasant Ave., Livingston, NJ. A funeral mass will be celebrated for Carmela on Wednesday, February 8 at St. Joseph Church, 44 Benvenue Ave., West Orange, NJ with entombment to immediately follow at Hollywood Memorial Park, 1500 Stuyvesant Ave., Union. NJ.
In lieu of flowers, we invite friends and family to consider a donation in her name to the Tomorrow's Children Fund, an organization near and dear to the family's heart https://www.tcfkid.org/donate/
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