Jo-Ann Lucy (Fiordaliso) Nehr, age 80 years, of New Providence, NJ, died on Friday, August 21, 2020, surrounded by loved ones at Morristown Medical Center, Morristown, NJ.

Born on April 7, 1940 in East Orange, NJ, daughter of the late Angelo and Rose Parlapiano Fiordaliso, Jo-Ann was raised in Newark, NJ, and had previously lived in South Orange, Blairstown, Mendham, and Skillman, NJ prior to moving to New Providence.

Graduating from East Side High School, Newark, NJ, Jo-Ann would enter the business world and become an Executive Assistant with Prudential Insurance, located in Newark. It was there that her life would be forever altered for the better. It was while working for Raoul Henry Nehr at Prudential that the two would realize that they had much more in common than business. They would find common ground, mutual interests, and most importantly, a love that would unite their hearts and lives in a most amazing way. They would marry on September 9, 1971 at Wyoming Presbyterian Church, Millburn, NJ, and live a life based on three things: faith, facing each day with renewed hope, and grounding all they did in love.

Jo-Ann was an extremely vibrant and vivacious woman whose family was at the center of her life. Though she had no biological children, her nieces and nephews, along with their children, were her world. She was omnipresent in all of their lives—from sporting activities, to performances and school activities, to graduations—she was there for everything. Her wise council was constantly sought after, and her humility was inspirational to all who met her. She just wanted the best for each of them, and was there however she was needed to make sure they reached and exceeded their potential. There was no dream too big that she would not encourage them to strive for, which makes her not only a loving aunt, but also a mother, grandmother, matriarch, and dear friend to so many.

She and Raoul were extremely philanthropic and were known to be very generous to many groups. They established the Raoul H. and Jo-Ann L. Nehr Memorial Fund at Princeton University. This fund facilitated educational access to deserving foreign students from Europe, thereby paying homage to Raoul’s German and Jo-Ann’s Italian heritages. To date, over 80 students at Princeton University have been educated through this fund. They also established the Nehr Scholarship at the Lawrenceville School designed to facilitate the education of Native American students via a four-year scholarship.

Jo-Ann’s activities were limited by the fact that a day only had twenty-four hours in it. She was very involved in the Princeton University 1746 Society; was a board member of the Mendham Area Senior Housing; was a member of the Present Day Club, Princeton, NJ; played bridge with the American Contract Bridge League where she earned master points; was a longtime member of the Blair Woman’s Club; was an avid tennis player with the Shawnee Tennis Club; was a longtime member of Cherry Valley Country Club; and was involved in many varied book and movie clubs, as well as Broadway groups and the Morristown Town Hall Lecture Series.

Traveling was a passion and her fearless persona led her on a month-long trip around the world. She visited more than one hundred countries and participated in seven safaris. Jo-Ann loved to meet new people and experience new cultures. Down to earth, she could relate to virtually anyone, and her smile broke the ice where there was a language barrier. Simply put, she loved an adventure and would do anything, from flying in a hot air balloon to zip lining over a river. “If you rest, you rust” she was known to say with her legendary grin and whimsical laugh.

Cooking was also a passion, and her recipes for braciola, lasagna, gravy, and ricotta cookies were legendary. These recipes were the center of many a holiday table around which sat her beloved family.

Jo-Ann’s faith was rooted in her upbringing by her mother, and she leaned on that Catholic foundation in both the good times in life, as well as the difficult ones. She knew that God’s plan was not always her plan, and she trusted in His ways. An active member of the Catholic churches in the communities in which she lived, she was always doing something for the church. Cooking meals for the sick, serving on committees and simply being there for new members, her actions spoke volumes about her character. The parish communities of St. Jude’s in Blairstown, St. Joseph’s in Mendham, and St. Charles Borromeo in Skillman, were all influential in nurturing and growing Jo-Ann’s faith.

The philosopher Confucius once wrote, “Wherever you go, go with all your heart!” Jo-Ann lived her life with her heart at the forefront of her words and actions. She lived genuinely and fiercely, and her legacy is that one lives a good life by lifting others up. If everyone lived a life just a little more like Jo-Ann, the community would surely be a better place. The world is not darker because of her passing, but truly lighter because she walked through it.

In addition to her husband who died in 2003, and her parents, she was preceded in death by her older brother, Anthony Joseph Fiordaliso in 1977 and a niece, Joanne Fiordaliso in 1981.

Surviving are her little brother and sister-in-law, Joseph and Marilyn Fiordaliso; her nieces, nephews, and their spouses, Maria and Brian Peterson, Kathleen and Louis DiGirolamo, Anthony and Tammy Fiordaliso, Joseph and Avery Fiordaliso, and Dana and Mac Martin; her great nieces and nephews, Alyssa DiGirolamo, Nicholas DiGirolamo, Louis DiGirolamo, Alex Peterson, Julia Fiordaliso, Anthony Fiordaliso, Camilla Fiordaliso, Rose Fiordaliso, Joseph Fiordaliso, Emily Martin, and Jackson Martin; several extended family members; and many dear friends made and kept throughout her lifetime.

Jo-Ann will lie in repose on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ 08822.

*Please note: there is a limitation to the number of people inside the funeral home at any one time so please follow all instructions of the Wright & Ford Care Team Family Ambassadors upon arrival. Social distancing must be maintained and masks must be worn at all times while on funeral home property. There will be continual cleaning and sanitizing of the funeral home as the day proceeds to ensure the safety of all guests.

A Mass of Christian Burial celebrated by Msgr. Gregory Malovetz will take place on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 47 Skillman Road, Skillman, NJ 08558, under the care and direction of Wright & Ford. Everyone is kindly asked to meet directly at the church on Wednesday morning beginning at 9:45 a.m.. For those unable to attend, the Mass will be live-streamed at www.borromeo.org (please click on the YouTube icon at the bottom of the page to view the Mass).

Burial next to her beloved husband Raoul at Fairview Cemetery, 1100 East Broad Street, Westfield, NJ 07090, will follow the Mass.

Please visit Jo-Ann’s permanent memorial site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a memorial candle, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of her life.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her honor may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online by clicking HERE.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”