Obituary of Nancy J. Caruso
Nancy Jane Caruso, 90 of Morristown, NJ passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by her family on Friday, February 6, 2026.
Nancy was born on November 23, 1935, in Morristown, to John and Mary Waters (Gurchak). She was raised in Morris Plains and attended Assumption School, where she was better known as Ann. She graduated from Bayley-Ellard High School in Madison, where she met the love of her life, Peter Caruso, at a freshman dance.
The high school sweethearts were married at St. Margaret of Scotland church in Morristown on December 9, 1956, and were blessed to share 65 long and happy years of marriage. Together, they raised four children—Joan, Peter, Debbie, and Lori—and their family grew to include ten grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and a wide and wonderful extended family.
Nancy began her working career at Bell Telephone before leaving the workforce to raise her children. When she returned to work, she spent many years in payroll at Bamberger’s and later Macy’s in Morristown on the Green.
Nancy was nurturing, kind, and generous, but also had an unmatched toughness and remarkable resilience. She was an excellent cook—never cooking less than twice as much as what was needed. She loved to play the slot machines—but not as much as she loved being in Atlantic City with her family.
Nancy loved to celebrate the holidays, especially Christmas Eve and Christmas with her sisters-and brothers-in-law and all her nieces and nephews.
In her downtime you might find her watching game shows, the PGA Tour, or Johnny Carson. She loved to listen to Elvis, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, and George Carlin (just do not tell her grandkids). Throughout her life, Nancy was also a passionate gardener who would—sometimes stubbornly—spend hours outside in the yard, tending to her flowers or, more likely, devising creative ways to discourage the deer from eating them.
But above all else, Nancy was a natural and tireless caretaker. She spent her entire life in service to her family—a service that spanned generations—and she always put others before herself. She felt most at home when she was surrounded by family. Whether it was a vacation down the shore, weekends in the Catskills, or a random Sunday afternoon gathered around the dining table. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and took immense pride in all their accomplishments.
Nancy was preceded in death by her loving husband, Peter; her parents, John and Mary Waters; and her sister Joan and her brother Jack, as well as her sisters-and brothers-in-law, Rocky and Mike Lucia and Dolores and John Garcia. She is survived by her children, Joan Downes (Kevin), Debbie Petro (Rick), Peter Caruso (Dawn), and Lori Quinn (Joe); her ten grandchildren; her four great-grandchildren; and many loving nieces and nephews.
Funeral services are private.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. https://www.stjude.org/donate/
Arrangements are under the care of Dangler Funeral Home, Morris Plains.