Constance Marie Smith (nee Leone) Obituary (1932 - 2022)

Constance Marie Smith passed away on February 11, 2022, two days short of her 90th birthday. She was born on February 13, 1932 and was raised in Newark. Her parents, Gasperino and Anna (Galiano) Leone both emigrated from Italy as young children. After her dad died in 1949 her mother raised Connie along with her older brother Joe and younger sister Marianne. She was particularly close with her maternal grandmother Louisa who lived in the downstairs apartment on Bergen Street. Connie met her husband Ken at a party when she was a teenager. They were married for more than 60 years before Ken died in 2013. They moved to a new house in Fairfield in 1959, where they raised daughters Donna (Zaros), Kathy (Murphy) and Sharon (Burns) and son Ken. Connie's sister Marianne (DelGuercio) lived next door with her mother Anna, and brother Joe lived on the next block with his wife Millie. Her love of family defined her life, and she took great joy in being so close to her brother and sister, her mom, and her many nieces and nephews. Connie loved her sons-in-law Bill Zaros and John Murphy, and her daughter-in-law Lori Smith as much as she loved her own children. She was grandmother to Kristen (Zaros) Mautone, Bill Zaros, Mathew Zaros, Sean Murphy, Kaitlin Murphy, Kelly Murphy, Julie (Smith) McGlade, Jennifer Smith, Megan Burns, Dillon Burns and Daniel Burns. She was also a proud great grandmother to Emily, Abbie and Mark Mautone, Eliana Zaros, and to Finn McGlade. She often told her family, although you love your children, you really love your grandchildren. And she did. She loved spending time with them, spoiling them, and watching them grow. The famous quote by Carl Buehner truly describes Connie: They may forget what you said -- but they will never forget how you made them feel. Her gift was making you feel good because she was always cheerful and positive. Rarely at a loss for words, Connie taught her family tolerance and empathy. She never told jokes but was one of the most entertaining and humorous people you would ever meet. Connie was renowned for making friends everywhere she went, often learning someone's life story just standing in line. She and Ken traveled extensively with their friends, and she proudly told the story of meeting a young couple while on vacation in Europe and getting invited to (and attending) their wedding in Canada. She was also a natural cook who rarely used a cookbook. Her family will never forget how she was always able to throw together a table full of food in 15 minutes, her Friday night pizza, and for her annual selection of Christmas cookies. Connie spent her early years as a homemaker raising her kids. In the 1980s she began taking courses at Ramapo College before joining the workforce. She worked at Ben S. Loeb Company for more than 20 years and loved to tell how Mr. Loeb hired her after admiring how she handled his customer service issue at her previous job. Connie and Ken were founding parishioners of St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church in Fairfield, helping establish the new church and elementary school in the mid-1960s. She taught religious education at St. Thomas to hundreds of young people, was a Eucharistic minister and worked as an assistant to Sister Agnes for many years. Relatives and friends may visit with the family at Paul Ippolito-Dancy Memorial, 9 Smull Ave., Caldwell, NJ on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, from1 to 4 p.m. A Mass will be Celebrated in St. Thomas More Church, Fairfield, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, at 10 a.m., followed by the entombment at Gate of Heaven Mausoleum, East Hanover. In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Thomas More Church, 12 Hollywood Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004 would be appreciated.