Frances Lampariello, 91

She Took Care of Everybody

December 23, 1927 — June 17, 2019

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Every day people would come up to Fran and ask her what products she used to keep from wrinkling. She always chalked it up to her olive oil-heavy diet growing up in an Italian household. Whether it was this diet or really good genes, Fran, 91, was wrinkle free every day of her long life.

Frances Lampariello, née Berardinelli, was born on December 23, 1927 in Abruzzi, Italy. She came to America at 11 months old with her mother, Angela, who was 17 at the time.

Fran grew up in Newark. As the oldest of three children, she worked hard to pave the way for her younger siblings.

She went to work at 14 years old to offset the toll the Great Depression took on her family. She worked on the floor at a men’s clothing factory, in the office at Griffith Laboratories, and at the gift-wrapping station in the Kresge Department store.

Frances married her husband Joseph in 1956. The family moved to Short Hills, where they lived for 30 years, before moving to Convent Station and later to Stonebridge at Montgomery.

Family was Fran’s top priority, but to her, family was not just defined by shared DNA. She would take care of anyone who needed food or comfort. Holiday tables were always crowded because she never wanted anyone to be left alone. Food was always a way Fran felt she could show her love. Whether she was cooking for her husband and daughter or for hundreds, she paid attention to detail.

Fran dedicated a lot of time to both the Women’s Auxiliary Group at St. Rose of Lima Church in Short Hills and to the Parents’ Association at her daughter’s school, Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, in Summit.

Fran is survived by her husband of 63 years, Joseph Lampariello; her daughter, Rene Ten Hagen; her son-in-law, Bill; and her granddaughter, Rebekah; and nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her brother, Danny Berardinelli; her sister, Mary DeGennaro, her sister-in-law, Marie Armento; and her grandson, Andrew Ten Hagen.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on June 21 in the St. Charles Borromeo Church, Skillman. Burial followed at Rocky Hill Cemetery. Donations in Fran’s name may be made to Children’s Specialized Hospital: Mountainside. ■