Phyllis Regina (Nee Jurewicz) Paparella

Phyllis Regina Paparella (nee Jurewicz) passed comfortably at home at age 96 on October 23, 2020. Phyllis was born in Passaic NJ and grew up in Garfield, Wallington, and Clifton NJ with older sister Rose (Casagrand) and younger brother Gene. She was a child of the Great Depression, leaving her with a lifelong ethic of “waste not, want not.” After graduating from high school, she attended Traphagen School of Design in New York City.

She worked many years before marrying her husband, John, in 1959. They settled in Oakland, NJ and quickly started a family, with three children in three years. Phyllis spent the 1960s and 70s raising Paul, Michael and Diane, making sure they did well in school, always had healthy home-cooked meals, and wore their hats and gloves in the cold NJ winters.

Phyllis was a life-long reader and learner. In the early 1980s John thought it would be a great idea to get one on those new-fangled PCs to manage accounts for his business, but he had no intention of using it himself. So, Phyllis learned to used it and ran the accounts until John retired and they moved to Florida in 1995. They settled into their retirement home in the Colonnades in Fort Pierce, where Phyllis took full advantage of the tennis courts and swimming pool. Always interested in getting her exercise, Phyllis played tennis until she was 90 and swam laps until 95. Phyllis also loved oil painting and produced many pieces that will be treasured in her memory.

When John passed in 2012, Phyllis was independent for the first time in her life and took well to it. She became involved with Sarah’s Kitchen at Notre Dame Catholic Mission in Fort Pierce, helping every week to feed those less fortunate. She also crocheted hundreds of waterproof sleeping mats from plastic bags, which were then donated to the homeless.
In Fort Pierce, she had an amazing second family of nephew Patrick Paparella, his wife Lisa, and their children, who always made sure she was part of holiday and family events when her first family was far away.

Several years ago she lost much of her vision, and little by little the independence faded away. But she kept swimming and crocheting, and she was adamant about staying in her own home. She would not move back to “snow country” or into assisted living. In her last years she was given loving care by helpers Bonnie, Linda, Judy, Diana, and Marsha, allowing her to hold on to that last bit of independence of living her final years in her own home. Bunny and Gisela were also dear friends during Phyllis’s later years.

Phyllis is survived by son Paul and his wife Kristen, son Michael and his wife Carolin, and daughter Diane Van Delden and her husband Jay. Also surviving are grandchildren Kyle, Kevin, Grant, Jessica, and Tyler; great grandchildren Madeline, Emma, Olivia, and Cameron; sister-in-law Marlene Jurewicz; sister-in-law Barbara Paparella, brother-in-law Vincent Paparella and his wife Peggy; and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 1 PM on November 1 at Notre Dame Catholic Mission in Fort Pierce, with burial next to John in Narrowsburg, NY in December. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sarah’s Kitchen at https://sarahskitchen.org/