Frances J. Ruggiero

Frances Ruggiero, 70 Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister, and Aunt Frances Ruggiero passed away on March 30th. She was born on June 10, 1945 in Elizabeth, NJ, to parents Helen and Thomas O’Connor. She grew up with her three siblings, oldest brother Tommy, younger brother Jimmy, and youngest sister Patti. At the age of 18, she married her loving husband John Ruggiero of Staten Island and moved to Eltingville. She moved and for the last several years has lived with her husband and brother-in-law Santo. She was a devoted and loving mother to her two children, her daughter Fran and her son John. Her life was all about family. As a homemaker, she was a fabulous cook. Every Saturday, she welcomed her family over for a delicious home-cooked meal. Every Sunday, she went to New Jersey to visit her mother. During those years and more, she spent every Friday with her mom and sister for lunch and a day of shopping. Once her children were grown, she worked as a telephone operator at Verizon for 15 years. With her friends from work, she went bowling and attended Bingo. Her greatest joy was when she became a Grandmother. She was a loving, generous, thoughtful, caring, and supportive Grandmother to her five grandchildren: Alix, Danielle, Anthony, Erica, and Ronnie. Her most favorite times were when she was surrounded by her family. She never missed a game, performance, or ceremony for her grandchildren. Her blue eyes would sparkle with pride for their every achievement. Vacations with her children and their families were something cherished by all. She enjoyed trips to Turks & Caicos, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Mexico, Punta Cana, Las Vegas, Costa Rica and more. Each were filled with adventures, smiles, laughter, and memories for a lifetime. In July, she started to plan for Christmas. Many holiday traditions were started with her. Although she didn’t like seafood herself, she made an annual fish stew that was anticipated by all. Everyone got the gifts they wanted and every year, she found pleasure in gifting her daughter and daughter-in-law a custom made Lennox ornament. Their trees are a gift of love and sweet memories. When the holiday came she would bring so many dishes and was praised as the most terrific cook. The dish she was most famous for and requested the most was her Dirt Pie. Her daughter Fran has the fondest memories of their power shopping trips, sitting next to her on the beach on vacations together, phone calls, and having her there for all of her sons’ activities. Her son John recalls how his mother was always there for him and supported him and his family throughout everything his entire life. She was a beautiful, happy, and fun-loving woman. She was extremely talented at crocheting. Her doilies and afghans are stunning family heirlooms. It made her so happy to crochet for her family and friends. Another hobby she enjoyed was reading books that were given to her by her dear friend Barrie. She looked forward to the weekly gatherings with her nephew John and nieces. She had many of fun times going to the casino with her best friend, her sister Patti. Patti’s husband Joe and their children Gina and Michael were especially close to her. We are all so grateful that she was able to meet the newest addition to our family, Angelina. She was married to her husband John for 52 years. They shared a life of love and took very good care of each other. Frances often took her husband John hunting with their dog Cookie. They were both at their happiest every weekend sharing the tradition of going out to eat with their children and grandchildren. She loved her family so much and they loved her too. She will be deeply missed. Visitation will be from 2-5 and 7-9 on Friday, April 1st at John Vincent Scalia Home for Funerals, 28 Eltingville Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10312. Her funeral mass will be held at 11am on Saturday, April 2nd at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church. She will be laid to rest at Resurrection Cemetery. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.scaliahome.com

Frances J. Ruggiero

June 10, 1945 - March 30, 2016