Elvira (Di Giorgio) Todisco

Elvira Todisco, of Mahwah, NJ, died peacefully at home, at age 97.  She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 66 years, Vito Todisco.  Elvira was the devoted wife of Vito; loving mother to Frank Todisco of Washington, DC, Dr. Victor Todisco (Mara) of Ramsey, NJ, and Linda Dunne (Michael) of Ramsey, NJ; grandmother to Sofia (Alex), Anna, Tomas, Julia and Giovanni Todisco, and Dr. Caroline (Brett) and Melissa Dunne; and beloved sister/sister-in-law/aunt/great-aunt/cousin to a large, very close extended family.  Elvira was predeceased by her seven siblings:  sisters Filomena DiGeorgio, Mary Costello, Ida Luisi, and Ann D’Addario, and brothers Nicola, Joseph, and Rudy DiGeorgio.  She was formerly of Franklin Square, Long Island; Staten Island, NY; the Bronx; and East Harlem in Manhattan.

Born Elvira DiGiorgio on December 20, 1928 in New York City, the seventh of eight children of Francesco and Rosa (nee DeBellis) DiGiorgio, who emigrated to the U.S. from the town of Sant’Eramo in the province of Bari in southern Italy.

Elvira grew up in East Harlem and the Bronx, attended New York City public schools, and graduated from Manhattan Needleworks High School.  She married Vito on February 14, 1954.  They were married for 66 years until Vito’s passing in 2020.

Elvira was devoted to family, including extended family, and always ready to help others in need.  The family lived for many years within a stone’s throw of one or more of Elvira’s siblings: for six years in Staten Island next door to her brother Rudy and his family; and for many more years in Franklin Square on Long Island, in close vicinity to her sisters Ida and Ann and their families.  This gave us, her children, the benefits and joy of growing up in close vicinity to our cousins.  She and Vito later migrated to Mahwah, NJ to be closer to their children and grandchildren.  Elvira and the extended family loved going on vacation to Pine Lake Manor in the Catskills every summer, a tradition that continues to this day.

Elvira loved playing cards, and she was an excellent bridge player.  She was also a great cook.  She was an exceptional homemaker, highly organized, caring, smart, no-nonsense and tough as needed, and indefatigable.  In another era, she might have been a highly successful corporate executive. She always said she would have loved to be an elementary school teacher, another career at which she would have excelled with her extraordinary attention to detail, commitment to fairness, and love of children. Elvira was also an excellent and confident driver, lending a helping hand by driving others, and routinely driving into Manhattan, or across two bridges to get from New Jersey to visit her sisters on Long Island, right up until illness hit at age 87.

In 2016, at age 87, Elvira was struck by meningitis during the annual family vacation.  The fact that she survived the illness at all was considered remarkable at her age, but it did leave her energy and capacity significantly diminished for the remainder of her life, which was particularly hard for someone as active as she had been.  She handled these difficult years with grace.  Elvira was never a complainer.

Elvira’s final years were spent at home.  The family would like to give special thanks to her devoted caregivers of her final years: Mellie, Connie and especially Ceil. Their exceptional loving care allowed our mom to stay at home and comfortable in her final years, for which we will be forever grateful.

We will miss Elvira greatly and remember her always.

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