Obituary of Evelyn Senaldi

Evelyn Senaldi (nee Cerullo) passed away on December 10, 2024 at her Wayne, NJ home. She was 94.

Born and raised in Elmwood Park, NJ, she had been a longtime resident of Passaic, NJ before moving to Wayne Township in 1986.

Mrs. Senaldi earned her Bachelors Degree in linguistics from Montclair State College in 1951. She subsequently studied optometry and became a certified optician.

She had worked as a linguist with Air France airlines before joining her husband, Dr. Angelo Fred Senaldi, in his Passaic, NJ optometry practice in 1952. Her tenure there lasted until she and Angelo closed the practice in 1986.

Evelyn and her husband had a passion for travel and visited nearly every continent through their journeys. She collected natural and cultural artifacts from each country she visited which were displayed proudly in her home. Perhaps Evelyn's favorite place on Earth was lounging on the sandy beaches of the Riviera Maya, sipping on Negronis and known as "Tía" by the friendly locals. She was a romantic who enjoyed reading love stories under the warm sun.

Evelyn also enjoyed vacationing with her grandsons ("The Boys"), crabbing and dancing around the fire pit on their camping trips to Wildwood NJ. Evelyn, her daughter Daria, and The Boys traveled the country, road tripping to 46 states and making lasting memories.

Evelyn enjoyed dressing up and always wore lavish hats to her local parish on Sundays, showcasing her unique and creative sense of style. She was a master on the dancefloor and filled her home with the sound of Frank Sinatra. Mrs. Senaldi was a member of the Montville UNICO Foundation, Wayne ELKS Club Ladies Auxiliary, and was an avid bridge player and member of the Wayne Adult Community Center.

Above all else, Evelyn was a passionate philanthropist, making charitable contributions to numerous educational institutions and healthcare facilities. Evelyn saw the value in education and wanted to afford these opportunities to those in need.

Preceded in death by her beloved husband, Dr. Angelo Fred Senaldi in 2005, Evelyn is survived by her two loving children, Eric Senaldi and his wife, Lisa of Fort Lee, NJ, and Daria Senaldi and her husband, Lance Druckenmiller of Towaco, NJ; four cherished grandchildren, Liana Senaldi and her husband, Bryan Rosen of Westchester NY, Marina Senaldi of Manhattan, NY, and Paul and Mark Romeo of Towaco, NJ; and her adored great-granddaughter, Mila.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the Visitation on Sunday, December 15, 2024, 2:00-6:00pm at S.J. Priola Parsippany Funeral Service, 60 North Beverwyck Road, Lake Hiawatha (Parsippany), NJ. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, December 16, 2024, 10:00am at St. Pius X R.C. Church, Montville, NJ. Entombment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Paterson, NJ. In lieu of flowers, the family would be most grateful for Memorial Gifts to St Jude Children's Research Hospital (https://stjude.org), Wayne Township Memorial First Aid Squad (https://waynefas.org), or Montville UNICO Foundation (https://montvilleunicofoundation.org).