Donna M. Monaco

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Donna Maria Monaco, age 71, on October 7, 2026, at home in Union, New Jersey, surrounded by her loved ones. Born in Newark, New Jersey, on May 21, 1955, Donna was the devoted daughter of the late Saverio (Sam) Monaco and Isabella (née Caprio) Monaco. She is survived by her sister, Marianne Monaco; her brother, Vito Monaco, and his wife, Tomoko Ono; her cousins Peter De Salvo and his wife, Colleen Giblin De Salvo, and Donna De Salvo; and many other beloved cousins and friends.

Donna earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Psychology from Kean University, graduating in three years. For over thirty-four years, she was an Information Technology Specialist for the Department of Justice at the United States Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, in Newark. She worked under prominent U.S. Attorneys, including Samuel Alito (later a Supreme Court Justice), Christopher Christie (later Governor of NJ), and Paul Fishman, as well as Attorneys General Janet Reno, John Ashcroft, and Eric Holder. She ensured that every case they prosecuted was properly entered and tracked in the database, wrote reports required by the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government, and trained every attorney on the office’s computer system.

Donna loved to travel. She made many pilgrimages to sites of Marian apparitions, including Lourdes in France, Fatima in Portugal, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. She also traveled to Italy, Ireland, Colombia, and Quebec City, Canada, one of her favorites.

After retiring, Donna volunteered for five years at Immaculate Conception Seminary, School of Theology, at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. She tutored young men from many countries as they discerned their vocations to the priesthood, helping them speak, read, and write English. She even gave them recorders so they could practice and improve their diction. Many of them have attested to the tremendous impact she made on their lives.

Donna lived with compassion and empathy for others. She was a charitable and generous person, and she acted as a surrogate mother to many, giving them her unconditional love. Her charitable giving is too extensive to list, but among her favorites were World Central Kitchen, Tunnel to Towers, the USO, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, Food for the Poor, and Holy Spirit RC Church.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her name to the National Kidney Foundation, Immaculate Conception Seminary, School of Theology, Seton Hall University or The V Foundation.

Visitation: Friday, October 16, 2026, 4:00 to 8:00 pm

McCracken Funeral Home, 1500 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083

Mass of Christian Burial: Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10:00 am

Holy Spirit RC Church, 971 Suburban Road, Union, NJ 07083

Committal service to follow immediately at Hollywood Memorial Park, 1500 Stuyvesant Avenue, Union, NJ 07083