Obituary of Angelo A. Pennisi

February 23, 1933–June 4, 2021 It is with heavy hearts that Angelo’s family announces his death early morning on June 4. A funeral mass is scheduled for Tuesday, June 8, at 10:30 AM at St. Virgil’s Church at 250 Speedwell Ave., Morris Plains, NJ 07950. You may watch the Mass virtually by visiting www.stvirgilparish.org and scrolling down the main page to find the link to the live stream that starts promptly at 10:30 am and not before. Angelo is survived by his devoted and loving wife Angela, his children Lauren of Boise, ID, Christine (Gurriere) of Caldwell, NJ, Katherine (Steve Dick) of Eagle, ID, and Matthew (Theresa) of East Hanover, NJ. His eight grandchildren are, in order of their birth: Zachary, Jenna, Ethan, Michael, Hadley, Christopher, Natalie, and Matthew, Jr. Angelo is also survived by his only brother Daniel, Jr. of Palm Harbor, FL, whom he loved dearly. He was predeceased by his father Daniel and mother Lillian, and his sister-in-law Jean. “A more faithful, loyal, and friendly companion could not be found” – prescient words written in his 1951 Montclair High School yearbook. That was Angelo’s life in a sentence: faithful and loyal to God, to his country, and to his immediate and extended family and friends. After graduating from Montclair High School Angelo enlisted in the Navy and served as a corpsman from 1952-54. Angelo graduated from Rutgers Newark in 1958 with a degree in Chemistry. While a student at Rutgers, he met his life-long friend, Bill Keeffe. This friendship was pivotal because—the story goes—Bill set up Angelo on a blind date with Angela Rocco, sister of Bill’s wife Frances. The result was the marriage of Angelo and Angela on June 6, 1959. Angelo started his career as a bench chemist for Dubois Chemicals in East Rutherford, NJ and worked his way up to branch manager over the course of his 33-year career with the company. Toward the end of his professional career, Angelo and Angela decided to start their own business with a Naked Furniture franchise. They ran a successful business until 1996, when they both retired to travel and to spend time with family. Angelo was proud of his country and Italian heritage. He so enjoyed visiting Italy, especially Sorrento, which was one of his favorite places. Angelo had many hobbies and interests: model trains, cooking, wood working, and surf fishing. There are so many stories and fond remembrances of his talents and skills in each of these areas. Perhaps the most talked about talent is Angelo’s cooking. His meals were legendary, including Italian favorites such as meatballs, lasagna, pizza, and Easter pie. He elevated the simplest dishes to a memorable feast. All to the delight of his family. Long Beach Island on the Jersey shore holds a special place in the hearts and minds of the Pennisi family, and especially for Angelo. He took his young family there for summer vacations during the 60s and 70s. At the shore, he tested his skill of surf fishing, and he would get skunked but then there would be the day that he would see the birds forming just beyond the surf and that meant the fish were feeding. Time to run home to get his fishing pole. In recent years, though Angelo slowed down because of health and age. At the beginning of 2021, he suffered a series of health setbacks, most notably his collapse at home on May 15; he was rushed to the hospital where he remained for 11 days. At the start, his recovery seemed promising, but as the days passed, Angelo expressed his fervent wish to go home, the place he loved best. On May 26, his wife and daughters arranged for him to be transported home with hospice care. The family stayed by his side, ensuring that he was never alone and that he had the care he needed to be comfortable as possible until he drew his last breath on the early morning of June 4. The family thanks friends and extended family members for their prayers, support, and sharing fond remembrances of Angelo. Donations in Angelo’s memory may be made to Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675 or online at www.woundedwarriorproject.org or to Shriners Hospitals for Children, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, Florida 33607 or online at www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org Arrangements are entrusted with Dangler Funeral Home, Morris Plains.