Grace Eugenia Mancini's Obituary
Grace Eugenia Mancini, formerly of Elizabeth, NJ and Gainesville, FL, passed away peacefully on October 14 at 105 years of age. She was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where she spent most of her life. A graduate of the College of New Rochelle, she received a Master’s degree from New York University and pursued post-graduate study at Middlebury College and the Sorbonne in Paris. Known to her students as “Mademoiselle”, she had a rewarding 43 year career as a teacher of French and Latin language at the high-school level, receiving many awards and accolades in recognition of her skill, effectiveness and dedication.
She was an active and honored participant in many Service organizations. These included the American Red Cross (Red Cross Trinitas Guild), the American Association of University Women, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, the Immaculate Conception Church of Elizabeth NJ, and numerous other volunteer groups. She loved travel, and had visited many parts of the world. She was always devoted to and beloved by her family. In later years, she moved to Gainesville, Florida to be near her niece Eugenia G. Bernard. There she lived at The Atrium where she was a beloved member of that community. At age 101 she was an example for all, exercising daily, playing scrabble, with a keen mind, and acting as a central figure among her many friends. In 2012 she moved to the Boston area to be near her nephew, Edward Laws and his wife, Margaret, and was living at Goddard House in Brookline MA.
She is survived by two nieces, Eugenia Grace Bernard of Gainesville and Anne Tumminia of Lanoka Harbor, NJ; two nephews, Dr. Edward Laws (Margaret) of Jamaica Plain, MA and Eugene Mancini (Anne) of Camarillo, CA; 10 grandnieces and nephews; 10 great grandnieces and nephews and 2 grandnieces by marriage, daughters of the late Donald Bernard, Danica Faulkner (Neil) and Dara Chan (Peter) and their children. She was preceded in death by two older sisters, Dorothy Nittoli and Jessie Laws and her brother, Ralph Mancini.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at 9:30 a.m., at Holy Faith Catholic Church, 747 NW 43rd Street, with Fr. John Phillips as celebrant.
Those who wish may make memorial remembrances to The American Red Cross in c/o Debra Roman, 751 Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32204, in her memory.
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