Angela Lifrieri Obituary

Angela Lifrieri, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, educator, woman of deep Catholic faith, and beloved friend to so many, passed away surrounded by the love of the family she spent her life nurturing.

Angela was the daughter of the late Antoinette Constantino and was married for 65 years to her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, Thomas Lifrieri. She loved and adored Thomas deeply, and together they built a beautiful family and a lifetime filled with faith, traditions, celebrations, perseverance, hardships overcome together, laughter, and lasting devotion. Angela was predeceased by Thomas, whose memory remained forever close to her heart.

Together, Angela and Thomas raised five children: Laura Lifrieri, Mary (Angelo) Cocciolillo, Angela Lifrieri (Andrew Guerriero), Julie (Robert) Dimperio, and Thomas "Duke" (Michelle) Lifrieri.

Her family continued to grow, bringing Angela immeasurable pride and happiness. She was the cherished grandmother of Jaclyn Dimperio; Joseph (Nicole) Dimperio; Jessica (Thomas) Trafford; Gina (Arik) Abrams; Nicholas Guerriero; Tyler Lifrieri; and Jaxon Lifrieri.

She was also the loving great-grandmother of Thomas Trafford, Isabella Dimperio, Gabriella Dimperio, and Violet Abrams.

Being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother was among Angela's greatest joys. She poured herself into raising her family and continued giving that same unconditional love throughout every generation that followed. There was no limit to what she would do for the people she loved. Her family knew that they always had someone in their corner—someone who would celebrate their successes, carry their worries, pray for them, feed them, laugh with them, protect them, encourage them, and show up whenever she was needed.

Angela was also predeceased by her beloved daughter Laura. Losing those she loved so deeply brought tremendous sorrow, but Angela's faith, strength, and devotion to her family carried her through even the most difficult chapters of her life.

Angela was also the beloved sister of Nicholas (Gerri) Benoliel. She shared a loving bond with her sister-in-law Marie (Albert) Biele and her brother-in-law Anthony (Maryann) Lifrieri. She was the loving aunt of Maria (Steven) Gauragna, the late Stephanie (Scott) Kreppin, and Anthony Lifrieri. She was also a cherished great-aunt to Steven, Santino, and Giada Gauragna, as well as Evie Kreppin. Angela also leaves behind beloved cousins and extended family members with whom she shared a lifetime of memories, laughter, traditions, celebrations, and love.

At the very center of Angela's life was her Catholic faith.

For more than 30 years, Angela faithfully served St. Francis Xavier Church in the Bronx, New York. The church was far more than a place she attended; it became an extension of her home, her family, and her life's purpose. Angela could often be found there, attending Mass and quietly doing the work that needed to be done. She helped prepare and set up the church for Masses, First Holy Communions, Confirmations, weddings, funerals, and other sacraments and celebrations.

She gave her time to the Church not for recognition, but because serving God and serving others came naturally to her.

Angela also spent many years as a religious education teacher, with a special love for teaching second grade and preparing children to receive their First Holy Communion. She understood the significance of introducing young children to their faith and considered it a privilege to guide generations of students as they prepared to receive the Eucharist.

Her commitment to the faith extended beyond the classroom. When adults or others came to the Church later in life to receive the sacraments and needed someone to stand beside them, Angela was often willing to serve as their sponsor or godparent. Even when they began as strangers, she welcomed them with kindness and supported them through an important moment in their faith journey.

Her Catholic faith was not simply something Angela spoke about. She lived it. She practiced her faith through service, generosity, forgiveness, compassion, and an extraordinary willingness to love other people.

Her gift for nurturing children also extended into her professional life. Angela worked as a school librarian, surrounding herself with children, books, learning, and the school community. Later in her life, she also worked for Gucci in Manhattan, one of the many chapters that made up her long and remarkable life.

But no job title could ever completely describe Angela.

She was a caregiver. A teacher. A friend. A mother figure. A confidante. A woman people trusted. She was someone who saw what needed to be done and simply did it. She helped without being asked and gave without needing recognition.

Angela found happiness in the simple and beautiful parts of life. She loved gardening, nurturing flowers and plants with the same patience and care she gave to the people around her. She loved singing and dancing, bringing joy, laughter, music, and energy wherever she went. She loved sitting on the porch talking with passersby, neighbors, friends, and family members. She loved celebrations, family gatherings, familiar traditions, conversation, and being surrounded by the people she loved most.

She loved raising her children.

She loved watching her grandchildren grow.

She loved becoming a great-grandmother.

She loved her church.

She loved her family.

She loved her friends.

And she loved with no limits.

Angela possessed a rare selflessness. She gave without keeping score and cared for people without expecting anything in return. She welcomed people into her life easily and loved them wholeheartedly. She could make someone she had just met feel as though they had known her for years.

Her warmth made people feel at ease. Whether they were lifelong friends, parish members, neighbors, relatives, or strangers passing by, Angela had a way of creating connection. She was friends with people wherever she went, and many acquaintances became lasting friends.

The tremendous number of people who loved Angela is perhaps the greatest reflection of the extraordinary amount of love she gave during her lifetime.

Her family will remember her voice, her laughter, her singing and dancing, her garden, her strength, her faith, her creativity, her traditions, the Sunday meals and gatherings, the conversations on the porch, the stories, the lessons she taught, the prayers she prayed, and the countless ways she made each person feel important.

They will remember the woman who showed up.

The woman whose door was open.

The woman whose heart was even more open.

Most of all, they will remember how Angela loved.

Her life cannot be measured simply by the years she lived, but by the family she raised, the children she taught, the sacraments she helped prepare, the people she welcomed, the friendships she formed, the prayers she offered, and the countless acts of kindness she performed when no one was watching.

Angela spent a lifetime preparing others to receive God's grace and teaching children about the promise of eternal life. Her family now takes comfort in the same faith she so faithfully shared with others: that after a lifetime of serving God and loving. His People, she has been welcomed home and reunited with those she loved who went before her.