Nelida Fazio

Nelida (Nellie) Rosa Fazio passed away on January 21, 2026, surrounded by her family and the many memories of a life well lived. She was born on September 5, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York, to Angelo and Mercedes (nee Montanez) Carniglia. The daughter of two immigrants, she was a first-generation American and carried her Brooklyn sensibility with her throughout her life. Nelida was also deeply proud of her Argentine and Puerto Rican heritage. A lifelong Dodgers fan, her favorite player was Gil Hodges. Even after the team left Brooklyn, she remained devoted to them, even though she was deeply saddened by their departure from her hometown.

Beginning in the 1960s, Nelida worked at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. She spent almost 20 years there in two separate periods: first in the 1960s, and later from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. It was there that she met Joseph (Joe) C. Fazio. The co-workers soon fell in love, married in November 1968, and moved to an apartment in North Bergen, New Jersey. On New Year’s Day 1971, their first daughter, Angela, came into the family, followed one year later by their daughter Debra. The Fazios soon moved into their own home in Leonia, NJ, where their life was defined by family, shared interests, and everyday moments. Their life together was steady, familiar, and deeply rooted in the things that mattered most to them. Nelida and Joe shared 46 years together until Joe’s passing in September 2014.

Nelida was a devoted parishioner of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Leonia for over five decades and valued the sense of faith and community that the church provided.

Sewing, a skill and love inherited from her mother, was a lifelong passion for Nelida. She made her daughters’ communion dresses, Easter outfits, and summer clothes, as well as countless Halloween costumes. Each outfit was created with care, creativity, and an eye for detail. Her sewing was both practical and expressive, a way she showed love through what she made by hand.

In the 1980s, she discovered cross-stitch and soon became deeply devoted to the craft. She created intricate portraits so detailed they looked like paintings and was known for making beautiful cross-stitch Christmas ornaments, which she gave as gifts.

She loved spending time outdoors. The beach was one of her favorite places. It was where she could sit surfside from sunrise to sunset, often returning home from the Jersey Shore with a golden tan to prove it. Gardening brought Nelida the same quiet satisfaction, and she took pride in tending her plants and watching them grow.

Nelida also had a passion for the arts and entertainment. She loved movies, especially classic Hollywood films, and spent many evenings watching Turner Classic Movies while talking to her family about stars like Cary Grant and Fred Astaire, and enjoyed hearing the stories and backstories of Hollywood’s golden age. She enjoyed British comedies and mysteries and was a loyal viewer of Match Game and The Price Is Right, but only the Drew Carey years. She also loved music: her favorite singer was Johnny Mathis. In high school, Nelida showed her own musical chops by playing the alto sax.

Known for her wit and sociability, it was often said that Nelida could talk to a tree—and she probably did on more than one occasion. She loved making people laugh and placed great value on friendship and loyalty.

One of the great joys of her life was being Nana to her grandchildren, Jack and Juliet. She was immensely proud of them and delighted in watching them grow, following their interests and accomplishments with genuine enthusiasm. Her love for them was constant and her pride in them was something she often spoke of. She also shared a long-running family joke with her “favorite son-in-law,” Tyler—who was, in fact, her only son-in-law.

Nelida loved the color pink, playing Scrabble, a good cup of coffee, cookies, anything lemon-flavored, seafood, and a hot dog from Hiram’s. These small pleasures, along with her stories, routines, and humor, defined a life lived fully and very much on her own terms.

Nelida will be deeply missed by all who knew her.