| Bifano, Beatrice Beatrice Bifano passed on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at Compassionate Care Hospice at Saint Clare’s in Dover, NJ. She was surrounded by her loving family and friends.Beatrice was born in Newark, New Jersey, the daughter of Dominick Acocella of Andretta, Italy and Beatrice (Todaro) Acocella of Palermo, Sicily, both of whom immigrated through Ellis Island at the turn of the twentieth century.In her youth, Beatrice adopted the respective religions of each of her parents, participating in both the Presbyterian and Catholic churches. She was an avid reader and pianist, and her talent in track and field and on the dance floor won her local awards. She attended West Side High School, and her classmates remembered her for her pleasant disposition and “twinkling toes.” After graduating high school, Beatrice attended Coleman Business College while working as a legal assistant at her father’s law firm. It was then that she met her future husband, Louis Bifano, who was living in Bloomfield at the time. They married in 1940 and devoted the first five years of their marriage toward serving their country during World War II, Beatrice as a secretary for the Department of the Navy, and Louis as an officer in General Patton’s 2nd Armored Division. Following the war, the couple settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Though busily raising five children, Beatrice continued to work, assisting her husband in the preparation of architectural specs. They later returned to New Jersey, and Beatrice spent much of her free time tending to several ill neighbors and volunteering at Dover General Hospital. But her true passion was caring for children, and she helped to raise two lovely granddaughters. Furthermore, she opened her doors to neighborhood children, who would “hang out“ at her house after school and on weekends. It was not uncommon to see her walking to a nearby park with an entourage of local children. Her most recent delight was the birth of her great grandson last May. Beatrice brought an abundance of culture and history to the many lives she touched. Moreover, she exuded an unassuming faith, spending hours daily in quiet prayer and epitomizing Christian value through her ability to see goodness in everything and everyone. She is predeceased by her husband Louis, her brother Donald, her sister Anita, and her granddaughter Jessica. She is survived by her five children, Anita Haley and her husband James of Bridgewater, NJ; Louis Bifano of Morrisville, Pa; Marc Bifano and his wife Beth of Washington’s Crossing, Pa; Gene Bifano of Wharton, NJ; and Betty Mayfield and her husband Larry of Roxbury, NJ. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Crystal, Erin, Alan, Ethan, Sarah, and Jonathon and her great grandson Anthony. Funeral services will be held Saturday March 13th, 2010 at 10:00 AM in the Smith-Taylor-Ruggiero Funeral Home #1 Baker Ave. (Rt. 46) Dover, NJ. Interment will follow in the Locust Hill Cemetery Dover, NJ. Visitation will be held Friday evening March 12th at the Funeral home from 7-9 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint Jude Children’s Hospital 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105 www.stjude.org | |||||||||||||
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