Eleanor “Bella” Petruzzi, age 82 years, of Raritan Township, NJ, died suddenly but peacefully on Monday, September 27, 2021 at Hunterdon Care Center, Raritan Township, NJ.
Born in Orange, NJ, November 21, 1938, daughter of the late Giovanni and Mary Ruggerio DeMeglio, Ellie was raised in Orange, NJ and had formerly lived in West Orange, Lakewood, and Stewartsville, NJ prior to moving to Raritan Township in April of this year.
Growing up on Columbia Street in Orange, NJ, Ellie was one of seven siblings where the girls outnumbered the boys, 5-2. It was growing up in this large and loving traditional Italian family where Ellie learned the value of having a big family who watched out for one another, as well as how to be a good cook!
Graduating from Orange High School, she would go on to serve as a legal secretary for Poll Law Firm, Madison, NJ. She had a long and fun career ensuring that all who came through the door of the firm knew they were appreciated and would be well cared for at all times.
Caring for others would become a tenet of Ellie’s personality. She was known for her infinite capacity to love everyone and she truly never met a stranger. She made friends easily and especially loved children, always saying hello to any little ones that came across her path.
When her time came to become a mother to Michelle and Christina, Ellie found a new level of happiness that she never knew existed and this was eclipsed only by the birth of her grandsons, Matthew and Daniel. In her children and grandchildren Ellie found a renewed purpose of life, and she lived each day to see them happy.
With a sense of humor that was second to none and a personality that was sensitive and caring, she rediscovered her Catholic faith in her later years and in turn a renewed sense of hope as she faced several medical issues, never giving up her desire to live each day basking in the light that was her family.
A longtime member of St. Raphael’s Church in Livingston, NJ, she was also a member of the church choir. In addition to her faith, Ellie enjoyed creating art and was especially adept at painting florals. She also could crochet and sew like no other, making many clothes for children over the years.
The Earth held significant meaning for Ellie in that she truly took the time and appreciated God’s work and majesty in all of his creations. From the oceans to the trees, from plants to ladybugs, it all was significant in her heart and this level of compassion down to the microscopic level allowed her to love unabashedly and openly.
A voracious reader, Ellie was always inspiring others with thoughts and quotes from her readings. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling, speaking as Albus Dumbledore writes, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Ellie chose to be a vessel of love on Earth and by our choices to be a bit more compassionate to the Earth and its inhabitants, we honor and keep her legacy alive.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a brother, Patrick DeMeglio in 2016; and two brothers-in-law, Joseph DeFinis in 2011 and Anthony Aromando in 2006.
Surviving are her daughters, Christina and her husband, Richard Levenson and Michelle Petruzzi; her grandsons, Daniel and Matthew Levenson; her sisters Concetta DeFinis, Katherine and her husband, Anthony N. Belardo, Anna Marie Aromando, and Margaret and her husband, Anthony Belardo; a brother and sister-in-law, John and Paula DeMeglio; many, many nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, and extended family; and many dear friends.
Family and friends are invited to a gathering on Saturday, October 9, 2021 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ. You are encouraged to wear color and not black, as Ellie loved color!
A public life celebration service officiated by Certified Life Celebrant D. J. Wright will follow the gathering at 4:00 p.m. and to which all are welcome.
Realizing that some may be unable to attend due to the pandemic, the Life Celebration Service on Saturday will be live-streamed, with the stream being active starting at 3:45 p.m. To watch, please click HERE and kindly ensure you do not have a pop-up blocker enabled. (If you are having issues with clicking above, please follow this link: https://livestream.com/aritonvideolive/petruzzi).
You are encouraged to visit Ellie’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of her life.
Contributions in Ellie’s honor and memory made be made to St. Jude Children’s Research hospital, via mail to 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online by clicking HERE.
____________________________
Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”