Obituary of Gilda T. Marinaro

Gilda T. Marinaro (née Ciricillo), a longtime resident of Convent Station, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 23, 2020 at Morristown Medical Center. She was 97.

Gilda was born in Auburn, NY on October 5, 1922 to the late Michael and Madeline Ciricillo. She was raised in Newark in a loving family of three children.

Gilda married her beloved husband, the late Alfred T. Marinaro, Sr. on September 11, 1943. The couple settled in Verona where they raised their family. Gilda and Alfred also lived in Madison prior to moving to Convent Station over twenty years ago, where they settled in their retirement. They were longtime and active parishioners of St. Vincent Martyr Church.

Gilda was a loving wife and devoted mother to her three children. She was also a faith-filled woman and had a strong devotion to St. Thérèse of Lisieux. After raising her children, she took a position as an administrative assistant with the Chubb Insurance Co. in Watchung.

Gilda adored cooking for her family and friends and owned an impressive collection of over 6-thousand cookbooks that she cherished and kept in pristine condition. She also had love for chocolate and would attribute eating chocolate to her good health and longevity.

In addition to her parents, Gilda was pre-deceased by her beloved husband of over 65 years in 2009, Alfred T. Marinaro, Sr., and her brothers, Samuel F. Ciricillo and Edward V. Ciricillo. She is survived by her sons, Alfred T. Marinaro, Jr. and his wife, Elaine & Robert E. Marinaro and his wife, Courtney; her daughter, Jeanne Gradone and her husband, Richard; seven beloved grandchildren, Richard, Jeffrey, Christina, Ross, Jillian, Dane, and Izabella; one cherished great-granddaughter Lucia; several nieces and nephews, and many dear friends.

A Liturgy of Christian Burial for Gilda will be celebrated on Thursday, August 27, 2020 at 10:00AM at St. Vincent Martyr Church, Madison. For those that wish, you may attend the Funeral Liturgy virtually via live-stream by visiting www.svmnj.org and viewing the mass on the main webpage of the church beginning at 10:00AM. Entombment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover.

**Visitors to the church are kindly asked to wear masks and practice proper social distancing.**

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that charitable contributions be made in Gilda’s memory to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105 or online at stjude.org/donate, or to Shriners Hospital for Children, 2900 Rocky Point Dr. Tampa, Florida 33607 or online at donate.lovetotherescue.org.