Michele Benigno

Michele Francis Benigno of Staten Island passed on Thursday November 30, 2023. Michele was born to Eda and Angelo Benigno on December 22, 1958, at Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn New York and lived at 1576 East 3rd street. She attended PS 238 and a vocational school after that. After graduation she began working at the Veterans Hospital as a patient transporter. When she wasn't working Michele enjoyed playing penny poker, family gatherings, vacationing in Rhode Island with her family, and traveling with her aunt Margie to Puerto Rico and Florida. In 1986 Michel retired from the VA and moved to Port St. Lucie Florida with her parents, she would always say IIm retired now". In Florida Michele enjoyed swimming in her pool, riding her bike, spending time with her aunt Anna and uncle Johnny and trips to the beach with her cousins. She attended weekly meetings at the Elks, and she enjoyed cruises to the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Alaska with her mom and dad. Michele's hobbies included reading, writing, and crocheting. She made blankets for both of her nephews when they were born. Every Sunday she would read the TV guide and write a list of the programs that she would watch the following week. Dallas, Baywatch, Wheel of Fortune, and Star Trek were some of her favorites. Titanic, Star Wars and Jaws were her favorite movies. Michele could easily recall actors and actresses and the characters they played. Michele loved to cook and help mom in the kitchen. She enjoyed going to restaurants, there was always room for dessert. Michele was thrilled when her nephew Richard was born always volunteering to hold him, feed him and change his diaper. By the time Steven came along she was a professional. Michele looked forward to her brother and sister-in-law coming to visit with the kids, it usually meant a trip to Disney, SeaWorld, or Aunt Josie's house. On January 1, 2001, her world changed when her father passed away, they were no longer a threesome. It was just her and mom, an inseparable twosome. Following her father's death Michele and her mom moved to Staten Island to be closer to her brother. Weekly trips with mom to the Friendship club where she bowled, danced, did yoga and Thai Chi. Monthly trips to Atlantic city where she played the I Dream of Jeanie and Wheel of Fortune slot machines. Michele always said she won, and she did because she always gambled with mom's money. She attended all the family parties - never leaving the dance floor. She discovered the Hallmark channel which drove us all crazy, unless she was sleeping that was all we were allowed to watch. She was excited when Richard and Steven got engaged and enjoyed spending time with Jen and Kaitlyn. She would have loved meeting and taking care of her new great nieces Melanie and Maeve. Michele will be remembered as a happy fun-loving person who enjoyed life to the fullest. She leaves behind her brother Richard, sister-in-law Paula, nephews and their wives Richard and Jen, Steven and Kaitlyn and her great nieces Melanie and Maeve. She also leaves behind many cousins, other family members who called her aunt Michele. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10:00 AM on Saturday at St. Patrick's Church located at 53 St. Patrick's Place Staten Island, New York 10306. Interment will be in Resurrection Cemetery, Staten Island, NY. The family will receive friends from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Friday, December 8, 2023, at John Vincent Scalia Home for Funerals, Inc., 28 Eltingville Blvd, Staten Island, New York.

Michele Benigno

December 22, 1958 - November 30, 2023