Obituary of Mary V. Sparagna

Mary Virginia (Pagano) Sparagna, wife, mother and dear friend to all, passed away peacefully in her Vineland home on August 16, 2018. Mary was born on March 27, 1923 to Mollie (Luisi) and Hugo Pagano in Vineland, NJ. She attended Sacred Heart Grammar School and High School, from which she graduated in 1941. Mary went on to become a registered nurse and graduated in 1944 from St. Peter's Hospital School for Nursing in Newark, NJ. She dedicated more than 30 years raising her children and serving as a private duty nurse for any family member or friend in need. However, in 1979 at the age of 56, Mary returned to the nursing profession as head Surgical Nurse at the Vineland Developmental Center until she retired. She met her husband, Angelo Sparagna, Jr., during her years at Sacred Heart, but it wasn't until a chance meeting many years later on the wards of a Baltimore hospital that they fell in love. She and Angelo married on October 5, 1946, and spent the next 72 years cherishing each other, their nine children, and 28 grandchildren. Mary's favorite days started with a swim in the ocean, soon followed by whistling in the kitchen and making mounds of meatballs with her eagerly awaiting children. Her summers were spent by the beach, ending most of her days at the waters edge with her friends and family until the sun was low in the sky. She was also an avid skier into her 80's, conquering summits from Rocky Mountains to the Swiss Alps. She is predeceased by her father and mother, and her sisters, Helene Sweet and Joan Belfi. She is survived by her husband, Angelo Sparagna, Jr., her children and their partners; Angelo and JoAnne Sparagna, Maria and Robert Drake, Cecelia and Shawn Quigley, Giovanna Sparagna and Richard Allen, Stephen and Maureen Sparagna, Claire and Stephen Greenfield, Mary and Bart Price, Paula and William Dalessandro, and Mark Sparagna. She is also survived by her grandchildren; Gabrielle Mulloy, Stefan Browne, Marissa Drake-DeRose, Vanessa Roberts, Taylor Drake, Jessica Sweaty, Patti Sparagna, Eddie Quigley, Etienne Quigley, Bridget Sparagna, Nicholas Sparagna, Kristen Sparagna, Alanna Sparagna, Morgan Greenfield, Caitlynn Greenfield, Alexandra Freed, Aaron Price, Ian Sparagna, Giovanna Sparagna, and her great-grandchildren, Payton, Amara, Hayden, Shayne, Gavin, Ethan, Cameron, and Mary Dylan. Relatives and friends will be received on Friday from 10am to 10:45am at Christ the Good Shepherd Parish, Sacred Heart Church, 1010 E. Landis Ave., Vineland, followed by a funeral liturgy at 11am. Burial will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Vineland. Arrangements are by DeMarco-Luisi Funeral Home 2755 S. Lincoln Ave., Vineland. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mary's name can be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?sc_icid=home-btn-donate-now).