Obituary of John B. Morello

John Morello (June 24, 1921 - April 5, 2020) passed away peacefully at his home in Ocean City surrounded by his loving family. John lived a long and wonderful life passing just three months shy of his 99th birthday. He was born in Vineland, NJ, the youngest of eight children born to Italian immigrants, Giacomo and Annetta Morello. John lived most of his adult life in Vineland where he raised six children and moved to Ocean City with his wife of forty-nine years, Florence (Nugent) in 2001. He was a graduate of Sacred Heart High School and attended Vineland Business School and Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. John served as President and General Manager of Minot Food Packers, Inc., Bridgeton, NJ and President, Director, and Chairman of the Board of Minotola National Bank. John was a strong presence in the Catholic Church and in the larger Vineland community, but to his wife, six children, and 11 grandchildren, John was the constant, quiet, driving force that was the undercurrent of our lives. He was a man of a few words but one of our greatest teachers. He taught not by sitting us down and explaining things but by living his life as an example for his children. He worked hard and lived everyday with honesty and integrity. He treated everyone around him with respect and compassion and helped when needed, quietly, without need or want of thanks or recognition. And above all other things, he lived with a great and unwavering faith and love for his family. To those who were lucky enough to know him well, he served as an example, a teacher, the one by whom to measure your actions and choices. To his children, he is the voice that speaks within us and acts as the moral compass for our everyday lives. The greatest gifts that he gave to us were the lessons gleaned through his example: to have faith, love your family and make them your priority, be honest, live with integrity, be respectful and compassionate, work hard, serve your community, be proud of who you are but be humble in what you do. John was very proud of his Italian heritage and loved to celebrate his big Italian family. It is fitting that he was called home on Palm Sunday, one of the most special days of the year to him. This year would have marked over seventy years of Palm Sunday Morello gatherings, an annual family reunion with over 100 relatives, homemade gnocchi and lots of love. John also loved to golf, garden, cook and entertain or basically do anything Florence told him to do-even dressing up in a toga for his 90th birthday. He was often gruff and grumpy but had a heart full of love. We will remember fondly his kooky sayings, his love of blue tape, the infamous peanut butter meatloaf, and the smile that would light up his face when his grandchildren and great-grandchildren would come to visit. John is predeceased by his first wife Mina Morello (nee Conway), his high school sweetheart and the mother of his eldest four children; beloved son, John Patrick Morello; parents, Giacomo and Annetta Morello; siblings Alfonso Morello, Mary (Pete) Trucano, Esther (Tom) Gruccio, Ugo Morello, Clorinda (Phil) Ambrose, Della (Carmen) Pettisani, and Lou (Florence) Morello; and his in-laws, the large Nugent family of Northfield, NJ. John is survived by his wife Florence (Nugent); children Daniel (Mona) Morello, Judy (Robert) Browne, Michael (Valerie) Morello, Jennifer (David) Fiss, and Maureen Morello; daughter-in-law Susanne (Kevin) Haight, sister-in-law, Norma Johnson, whom he jokingly called his other wife; 11 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews and other loved ones in the Morello, Karibjanian, Nugent and Cecchetto families of Vineland, Northfield, and Canada. A special thank you to his compassionate caregivers, Alejandra Pedraza, Lisa Carraloro, and Silvia Martinez, to his nurse, Cass Somers, from Holy Redeemer Hospice, and to his physician, Dr. Tamara Fisicaro, for their loving care and attention in John's final months and days. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Hospital for Children or the charity of your choosing. Please offer up your prayers for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic, particularly to the sick and dying who can not be with their loved ones during this difficult time. Mass and memorial service to follow at a later date. We love you, Dad. Goodnight, John.