Our hearts are broken by the passing of our mother, Elona Patricia “Pat” (Kozarski) Paccione, 84, of Plainfield, New Jersey, on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at JFK Hospital in Edison, New Jersey. She was born to the late Boleslaw (William) and Adela (Ochab) Kozarski in South Plainfield, New Jersey. She was the cherished wife to the love of her life, Nicolo, for 57 years, who predeceased her in September 2015.
She is also predeceased by her brother and sister-in-law, Edward and Frances Kozarski, and her 4 sisters and brothers-in-law, Henrietta and Edward Czahor, Jean and Joseph Getko, Irene and Cliff Anthony, Stella and Anton Beenders; and her son-in-law, Ryal Gaudiosi. She is survived by her 5 daughters, Christine Gaudiosi of Coral Springs, Florida, Susan Wells of Weston, Florida, Jacqueline Paccione of Clinton, New Jersey, Monica Paccione of North Plainfield, New Jersey, and Lisa (Michael) Papa of Manlius, New York. She is also survived by her adoring grandchildren, Kenneth Wells, Jr.; Katie (Jeremy) Ownbey; Alexandra (Jonathan) Key; and Tyler, Nicholas, Michaela and Joseph Papa.
She is survived by three great-grandchildren, Colton and Bryce Ownbey, and Paislee Wells. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Michael Paccione, and several nieces and nephews. Mom graduated from North Plainfield High School in 1953.
Mom held several secretarial positions during her lifetime, two of which were at Prudential Insurance Company and Revlon Cosmetics. She was a member of the USS North Carolina Battleship Association. Although she enjoyed working outside the home, her greatest joy was being a full-time mother to her five girls.
Mom was an avid reader, who passed along her love of books and magazines to her girls. She loved catching up on our favorite TV series and movies by phone or in person. Mom had an impeccable memory for details and loved telling us stories about her childhood and family.
She loved to sew and we were thrilled to have homemade Halloween costumes. Mom quizzed and prepared us for tests, and encouraged us to pursue our educations. She made sure we had a great time whether it was taking car rides to the shore, viewing fireworks on the 4th of July, having cookouts in the backyard, or making popcorn in preparation of the annual movies we would watch including “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Sound of Music”.
Mom enjoyed planting and picking tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and beans with Dad. She’d create delicious salads with the harvest and enjoyed being the prep chef to Dad’s cooking of authentic Italian dishes. Mom enjoyed her word search puzzles.
She cherished the times spent going out to lunch or dinner with the girls. She took great pride in her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She always wanted to know what the children were up to on a regular basis and their most recent accomplishments.
She was an avid lacrosse fan watching her grandsons’ games online. She loved receiving photos, and enjoyed FaceTime chats. She was getting good at using her cell phone to text.
Mom was a woman who at times in her life had little, but gave us everything. We were loved unconditionally. She instilled strong values in us and kept our moral compasses straight.
She inspired us to be our best in whatever we chose to do, to have good manners, and to treat other people respectfully. Always a lady, she was soft spoken, kind, loving and grateful for all she had in life, above all, her family. In Mom’s words she would tell us, “It will all work out”.
“Do not worry”. “It is what it is”. Mom, we miss you dearly, you will always be in our hearts.
Memorial donations can be made to Hunterdon Development Center, note on the memo line “Living Memorial Garden” in memory of Elona Paccione, Hunterdon Development Center, Attention: Public Relations, PO Box 4003, 40 Pittstown Road, Clinton, New Jersey 08809-4003. Friends may visit the family on Wednesday, May 29 from 5:30-8:30pm at the Sheenan Funeral Home, 233 Dunellen Ave in Dunellen. A funeral service will be held at the funeral home on Thursday, May 30 at 11:00am.
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