Obituary of Grace Delli Gatti

Delli Gatti, Grace (nee De Pascale) "Grazia" age 92 of Haledon passed away peacefully at home on February 19, 2016. Beloved wife of sixty four years of Virginio Delli Gatti of Haledon. Loving Mother of Gina Delli Gatti and her husband Tom Gorga of Wyckoff. Dearest grandmother of Carly Gorga and Natalie Gorga, both of New York City. Sister of Yolanda Petriello of Haledon, Maria Buccella of Port Washington, N.Y. and Pasquale De Pascale of Paterson. Born in Montella, Prov. di Avellino, Italy, she came to the U.S.A. in 1953 settling in Paterson before moving to Haledon forty years ago. She was a gifted Seamstress and a member of the I.L.G.W.U., working in Paterson for many years before retiring in 1988. Grace was an avid gardener. She took great pride in her beautiful flowers, her fragrant bouquets of red roses tied in white ribbon were customary at family gatherings. She and her husband spent many hours side by side patiently tending hundreds of tomato plants. Big beautiful tomatoes were carefully jarred for the following year's sauce, and shared with family and friends. She was an amazing cook and instilled a passion for food in her family. Her rich meaty Sunday sauce, homemade gnocchi and eggplant parmigiana were unparalleled, and holidays were not complete without her struffoli, pizza piena, spinach pies, wheat pies and zeppoli. She never lost touch with her Italian traditions and took great care to instill them in her American family. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a funeral service at the Festa Memorial Funeral Home, 111 Union Blvd., Totowa, on Wednesday at 10:00 AM. Entombment to follow at Laurel Grove Memorial Park Mausoleum, Totowa. Relatives and friends may visit Tuesday from 2-4 & 7-9 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tn. 38105 would be greatly appreciated.