Obituary for Geraldine F. Carissimo (Miller)
Loving Wife, Mother, Sister, Grandmother & Great Grandma
Registered Nurse
In the simplest definition, a nurse is someone who helps, heals and makes things better. No one fit that definition better than Geraldine Carissimo. Unfortunately, on March 1st, the nursing profession lost one of their finest members and the Carissimo family lost their Mom, Grandma, Aunt Gerry, Oma, G.G. and Mutti.
Geraldine was born in Wilkes-Barre PA, Nov. 23rd 1928 and passed on March 1st 2022 in W. Orange, NJ. As a young girl she was quite the “TomBoy” and excelled in many sports–including out-boxing her brother (and best buddy) Mickey. However, her best friend was her Dad; he called her “Babe,” and taught her how to sing in harmony as well as how to shoot the tail off a jack rabbit at 40 paces. But her Mom was the one who recognized Gerry’s true calling when, as a little girl, she’d put band-aids on her dolls and took the stuffed animals’ temperatures.
So after graduating Newton High School, Gerry left her hometown of Sparta for Nurse’s Training at Passaic General. There she made many new friends like Straighter, Chuddie, the “M”isfits (Martone, Mooney & Margoulio) and her very best friend, Irene. But it was on a blind date, that Gerry met the person she was destined to love, nurture, pamper, cure and coddle for the next 70 years– her future husband, Petey.
Not only did she gain a husband, she also became part of a big, loving Italian family. She once said, “My parents never gave me sisters but God gave me Susie, Angie, Mare & Rita.” Her mother-in-law taught her how to make the best meatballs and gravy and her father-in-law taught her how to make ravioli. She and her sister-in-law Mary Ann went skiing, ice skating and trick -or- treating every year. And she often said her brother-in-law Raymond always cracked her up.
Soon Gerry was the matriarch of her own family. Her daughter, Dee, came first, then Peggy, Dominick, Michael, Peter, Mary Ellen and Raymond. She loved her kids with a heart and a half and put her nursing skills to work, fixing their boo-boos and their heartaches. As they grew and one by one married, she embraced her sons and daughters in law with unconditional love and support. Dave, Bruce, Shirley, Ellen and Janine; each held a very special place in her heart. And then, of course came her amazing thirteen grandchildren; Taryn, Kristen, Allyson, Dominique, Katie, Dana, Jeremy, Elizabeth, Michael, Peter, Sally, Alison and Krissy. And again, as they married, she lovingly welcomed Kyle, Eric, Jim, Geno, Tom, Owen and Stephanie. In time came her ten precious great grandchildren, Makayla, Kyle, Michael, Emily, Alexandra, Jackson, Alyssa, James and Tommy with two more on the way. Grandma Gerry RN delivered half of them and loved them all!
Even though she gave so much love to her family she still had a lot of love left for the new moms, their new babies and the whole maternity staff at Mountainside Hospital where she worked for 10 years. Despite working 3-11 weekends, she still managed to teach her grandchildren how to cook and play ball.
But in recent times, the world we live in began caving in on Geraldine; she suffered great physical pain; severe mental anguish; tremendous personal loss and tragic isolation. Yet she never became bitter. On the contrary, her optimism, determination, kindness and incredible sense of humor coupled with her sincere concern for others endeared her to everyone she knew including her many new friends at Brookdale Senior Living. They too were greatly saddened by her loss. Her sincere wish was that she be remembered with joy, and not mourned. Right now as you read this Grandma is reunited with Poppy and Aunt Mary Ellen & grandson Jeremy and heaven has gained another angel – as well as one helluva nurse.
Visitors will be received Thursday, March 3rd, 4pm - 8pm, from the S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home, (www.swbrownandson.com), 267 Centre St., Nutley.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, March 4th, 10:30 am at Holy Family Church, 28 Brookline Avenue, Nutley.
The entombment will follow at Glendale Cemetery in Bloomfield.
Flowers can be sent to S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home or Memorial contributions can be sent to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
(www.stjude.org)
Registered Nurse
In the simplest definition, a nurse is someone who helps, heals and makes things better. No one fit that definition better than Geraldine Carissimo. Unfortunately, on March 1st, the nursing profession lost one of their finest members and the Carissimo family lost their Mom, Grandma, Aunt Gerry, Oma, G.G. and Mutti.
Geraldine was born in Wilkes-Barre PA, Nov. 23rd 1928 and passed on March 1st 2022 in W. Orange, NJ. As a young girl she was quite the “TomBoy” and excelled in many sports–including out-boxing her brother (and best buddy) Mickey. However, her best friend was her Dad; he called her “Babe,” and taught her how to sing in harmony as well as how to shoot the tail off a jack rabbit at 40 paces. But her Mom was the one who recognized Gerry’s true calling when, as a little girl, she’d put band-aids on her dolls and took the stuffed animals’ temperatures.
So after graduating Newton High School, Gerry left her hometown of Sparta for Nurse’s Training at Passaic General. There she made many new friends like Straighter, Chuddie, the “M”isfits (Martone, Mooney & Margoulio) and her very best friend, Irene. But it was on a blind date, that Gerry met the person she was destined to love, nurture, pamper, cure and coddle for the next 70 years– her future husband, Petey.
Not only did she gain a husband, she also became part of a big, loving Italian family. She once said, “My parents never gave me sisters but God gave me Susie, Angie, Mare & Rita.” Her mother-in-law taught her how to make the best meatballs and gravy and her father-in-law taught her how to make ravioli. She and her sister-in-law Mary Ann went skiing, ice skating and trick -or- treating every year. And she often said her brother-in-law Raymond always cracked her up.
Soon Gerry was the matriarch of her own family. Her daughter, Dee, came first, then Peggy, Dominick, Michael, Peter, Mary Ellen and Raymond. She loved her kids with a heart and a half and put her nursing skills to work, fixing their boo-boos and their heartaches. As they grew and one by one married, she embraced her sons and daughters in law with unconditional love and support. Dave, Bruce, Shirley, Ellen and Janine; each held a very special place in her heart. And then, of course came her amazing thirteen grandchildren; Taryn, Kristen, Allyson, Dominique, Katie, Dana, Jeremy, Elizabeth, Michael, Peter, Sally, Alison and Krissy. And again, as they married, she lovingly welcomed Kyle, Eric, Jim, Geno, Tom, Owen and Stephanie. In time came her ten precious great grandchildren, Makayla, Kyle, Michael, Emily, Alexandra, Jackson, Alyssa, James and Tommy with two more on the way. Grandma Gerry RN delivered half of them and loved them all!
Even though she gave so much love to her family she still had a lot of love left for the new moms, their new babies and the whole maternity staff at Mountainside Hospital where she worked for 10 years. Despite working 3-11 weekends, she still managed to teach her grandchildren how to cook and play ball.
But in recent times, the world we live in began caving in on Geraldine; she suffered great physical pain; severe mental anguish; tremendous personal loss and tragic isolation. Yet she never became bitter. On the contrary, her optimism, determination, kindness and incredible sense of humor coupled with her sincere concern for others endeared her to everyone she knew including her many new friends at Brookdale Senior Living. They too were greatly saddened by her loss. Her sincere wish was that she be remembered with joy, and not mourned. Right now as you read this Grandma is reunited with Poppy and Aunt Mary Ellen & grandson Jeremy and heaven has gained another angel – as well as one helluva nurse.
Visitors will be received Thursday, March 3rd, 4pm - 8pm, from the S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home, (www.swbrownandson.com), 267 Centre St., Nutley.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, March 4th, 10:30 am at Holy Family Church, 28 Brookline Avenue, Nutley.
The entombment will follow at Glendale Cemetery in Bloomfield.
Flowers can be sent to S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home or Memorial contributions can be sent to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
(www.stjude.org)