Obituary of Tommasina Balistrieri

Tommasina Balistrieri (née Feola), 100, of Wayne, NJ, passed away on Friday, March 6, 2026 with her family by her side. She was born in Caserta, Italy, and came to the United States in 1947, settling in Paterson, NJ. She had been a resident of Wayne since 1970.

Mrs. Balistrieri was a devoted homemaker and a parishioner of Our Lady of the Valley R.C. Church in Wayne. She loved cooking meals for her family. Her specialty were escarole and beans, chicken cutlets and making homemade tomato sauce. There was nothing she loved more than spending time with her family and tell stories of her growing up in Italy and coming to the United States or how she liked to call it, “being a war bride.” Her family knew all her stories by heart.

She was the beloved wife of the late Gaetano Balistrieri. Loving mother of Sally Birch, who was her care giver for the last 10 years, and her late husband Harvey, and Joseph Balistrieri and his wife Sandra. Devoted grandmother of Joseph Balistrieri, Kristen Giangrasso,T.J. Balistrieri, Megan Meier, Michael Balistrieri, Desiree Pangione, and Nicholas Balistrieri. Dear sister of Donato Feola and the late Salvatore, Francesco, Nunzio, Giuseppe and Nicola. She is also survived by 15 cherished great-grandchildren and one on the way  

The funeral will be from Keri-Lozito Funeral Home, 125 Main Street, Lincoln Park, NJ, on Friday, March 13, 2026, at 9:30 AM. A Funeral Liturgy will follow at Our Lady of the Valley R.C. Church, Wayne, at 10:30 AM. Entombment will take place at Calvary Cemetery, Paterson, NJ.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, March 12, 2026, from 2–4 PM and 7–9 PM.