Obituary of Lydia S. Pignata

Lydia S. Pignata died peacefully in Sunrise, FL on January 16, 2017, at the age of 89. She was the last of a generation, as the daughter of Pasquale Santini, the founder of the 7 Santini Brothers Moving Company in the Bronx, NY. Lydia was born in NYC on December 21, 1927 and grew up near Lucca Italy, raising her family in Wayne, NJ. As a young girl during WWII she was given the responsibility to remain in her village to care for the children/elderly while the men and women escaped and hid in the forest for days at a time whenever Nazi soldiers arrived. This experience helped shape her tough, feisty and independent personality. She had the ability to combine her strong will with a powerful love for family, and the constant desire to maintain independence without inconveniencing anyone. Mom was a fantastic cook and a great baker. Her spinach torta was a family favorite while her ricotta pie won baking competitions, and was the front runner as one of 4 finalists in a national Betty Crocker competition, where her pie was disqualified due to a broken refrigerator at the finals competition. She also loved dancing, dogs/cats, and playing cards, becoming a top ranked Bridge player in NJ. She was predeceased by her parents Pasquale & Elisa (Borelli) Santini, her loving husband of 29 years Frank J. Pignata, her twin brother Aldo Santini and her siblings Dalida, Zach, Steve, Peter and Lidio, as well as Daniele & Lena Morelli. Lydia is survived by her two sons Carlo (Patricia) Passaglia and Gary (Roya) Pignata, and is Nonni to Marc, Eric, Steven, Lauren, Luca, Bianca & Dante, as well as loving family Mary, Roland & Perry Santini, Danny Morelli, and her devoted boyfriend Thomas J Furey Jr. Right up until her final weeks with us Mom lived between NJ and FL exactly in the way she wanted, going out to dinner, concerts and dancing with her beloved Tom. All are welcome to attend the visiting hours on Thursday, January 19 from 5-8 p.m. at the funeral home. Funeral Mass on Friday at 10:30 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne. Interment to follow at Christ the King Cemetery, Franklin Lakes.