Obituary of Maria Alibrando
Maria “Mary” Alibrando (nee DiGaetano) age 95yrs. of Atco, NJ passed away suddenly on September 24, 2019.
Mrs. Alibrando is predeceased by her husband Mario, her daughter, Teresa Morse and her grandson, Michael Morse. She is survived by her grandchildren, Christopher Morse (Linda), Gary Morse, Jr. (Jennifer), Teresa Leavy (Robert), her great grandchildren, Christine, Caleb, Emily, Jacob, Justin, Rachel and her great great grandchild, Bailey. She is also survived by her son in law, Gary Morse, Sr. and her grand puppy, Jackie.
Her viewing will be held on Monday, September 30, 2019 from 9:30am to 10:30am at the LeRoy P. Wooster Funeral Home & Crematory, 441 White Horse Pike, Atco, NJ. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11:00am at the at the Christ the Redeemer Parish/Assumption Church, 318 Carl Hasselhan Dr., Atco, NJ. Interment, Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Condolences may be shared at www.lpwoosterfuneralhome.com.
Mary was a woman who lived a life of constant movement. She could never sit still. If there was something she thought needed to be done, she did it. She never liked to let things sit. Idleness to her was a waste of opportunity.
One of eleven children born to immigrant Italian parents in 1924, she spent her youth between their winter house in Camden and the farmhouse in Hammonton. She and her siblings had a lifelong love of playfulness. They were constantly playing pranks on each other and unsuspecting friends and neighbors. From poking sticks through a hole in an out house to scare the town bully, to hiding in trees and dropping all sorts of items on the heads of passersby, to putting on impromptu dance and talent shows in the fields where they picked the summer crops. Her youth was full of hard work, but also lots of love and fun. She and her siblings, especially the sisters, continued their fun-loving ways all through their adulthood. Coming up with costumes at different family gatherings and putting on shows to keep us all laughing, they knew how to entertain an audience and bring joy to the room.
Because she grew up farming, Mary had one regret – not getting the education she would have liked. She made up for it with a tenacity and will to do more and learn where and how she could. As a young woman, she worked as an usherette in the theater. There she would watch and learn how to carry herself in a more confident manner, how to apply make-up, and tricks to create any hairstyle she wished from the actresses she encountered. She had the opportunity to go to Hollywood when asked by movie producers to audition for a small role. The lights of the stage could not compare with the warmth of home, however, so when the offer was made, she turned it down to stay close to the family she loved.
Later, she moved on to work in a sewing factory, but surprise fact – she barely knew how to sew! She was hired because her sisters worked there and the boss assumed she could do what they did. She quickly honed her skills by going in early and staying late to sit and watch, and take tips from the older ladies. In a short time, she taught herself to do fine needlework that was beyond compare, becoming one of the most valued ladies in the shop. Later in life she would open her own bridal shop where she hand created the most beautiful ball gowns and wedding dresses anyone could ask for. She was an avid seamstress all her life, continuing to sew clothes for herself and to teach her great-great-granddaughter to sew by hand and machine.
In the days of World War II, Mary did her part to help with the war effort. She worked in the factory making and inspecting turrets for airplanes. She was involved in the collection of scrap metal and organizing donated materials for re-use or re-purposing. During this time, she fell in love with a man named William Harmon. In early 1945, a few months before their daughter was born, William’s ship went down, leaving a grieving young woman to raise a child on her own. Mary was blessed, however, with kind parents who allowed her and her daughter to live with them and helped care for her child while she worked to support her tiny family.
When Teresa, her daughter, was 13, Mary married Mario Alibrando. He would become a kind and caring step-father and a supportive and loving husband. Having never learned to drive, Mario taught Mary when she was 35 years old, giving her the gift of a new and exciting kind of freedom. From then on, Mary went everywhere her heart desired. She enjoyed traveling, even if it was just to relatives houses, she loved the feel of being able to just jump in the car and go without having to wait for anyone to take her. She retained her driver’s license and continued to make smaller, local trips all the way until the last trip she took to church on the Sunday before she passed.
When Mary was 40, she became a Grandmother for the first time. She would see her family grow to include another 3 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild. She loved to throw big holiday parties, have picnics, and barbecues. Trips to the beach, fairs and festivals, circuses, and lots of time spent at other family member's homes happened every weekend. She wanted her family to always be together and know each other.
Growing up in a Roman Catholic household, Mary was a devout Christian. The religious practices she learned in her childhood continued as a parishioner at Saint Simon Stock in Berlin, then at Assumption Church when she moved to Atco. Mary volunteered as a missionary in her younger adulthood, as well as a member of the Ladies Guild visiting sick people, feeding the homeless, and praying in the prison wards. Her faith was what she leaned on in hard times, but she was also sure to praise God in good times. She needed him especially in 2012 and 2013 when she lost her daughter, then one of her grandsons. She said many times, if she didn’t have Jesus in her life, she would not have made it through.
During her last few weeks of life, Mary felt she was being given a message. She had several dreams where her daughter and sisters appeared to her telling her not to mourn them any longer because they would be together soon. She was a woman who could never sit still or leave a thing undone. Even though she was not supposed to be doing any of these things, on her last day she started by doing a load of dishes, then some laundry, and sweeping the floor. When she felt tired, she went and sat in her favorite spot on the front porch with her puzzle book to “people watch". She was getting ready to go watch her show (General Hospital) when she decided the hedges needed trimming. Taking the shears, she began with the tree in the middle of the yard, then worked her way over to the side shrubs. Halfway down the row, the Lord decided what she had done looked good and it was time to rest. She took one last breath on this side and the next in Heaven.
It must have been the sweetest surprise to see her loved ones before her, standing either side of our Savior, Jesus Christ, welcoming her home. We will miss her wisdom, her jokes, her desire to help, and even her sass, but knowing she is finally receiving the reward she deserved for a lifetime of faith and service, we could never wish anything better for her. She has taken her place among the angles to watch over those she loves and forever be at peace in Paradise. Rest well, we love you, always.
