Margaret Calderalo
February 7, 1927 – January 11, 2024
Cornwall, NY
Margaret Acocella Calderalo, born February 7, 1927, passed into the loving arms of her family and God on January 11, 2024. She was the daughter of Italian immigrants, the late Michaelangelo and Rose (Gallo) Acocella.
She was predeceased by her loving husband after only 26 years, Vito Calderalo; twin brother Americo Acocella who died at age 2 ½, brother Angelo Acocella (Angelina), and sisters Marie (Moccia) DeCola (Richard), Anne Florio (Louis) and Josephine Demarest (Nicholas). She is survived by her daughters, Victoria Rock (Bill) of Aiken, SC; Nancy C. Bryan (Bruce) of Cornwall, NY; and Rosemary Calderalo (Jim List) of Pasadena, MD; grandchildren Benjamin Bryan (Sharon), Amanda Bryan, Kathryn Bryan, Robin C. Harrison, Emily Calderalo, great-grandchildren Oliva Bryan, Vivian Bryan, Alyson Rivera, Ethan Rivera, and many, many nieces and nephews and friends. All were devoted to their grandmother, aunt, cousin, mother, dear friend. A special mention must be made of Noah, Nancy and Bruce’s dog who brought delight and comfort to Margaret in the last year of her life; she loved seeing pictures of him and called him “her dog.”
The priorities of her life were given to her by her parents and became her roadmap: God, family and education. Her favorite thing to remind family and friends were the words of her mother, that there is no such word as “can’t.” And if anyone tried to say they couldn’t do something, they would have to explain why to her mother. This meant that Margaret grew up trained to figure things out and be strong. She has passed that on to the next three generations with a great sense of joy and responsibility.
Margaret was voted most athletic girl in her Theodore Roosevelt High School graduating class of 1944, winner of many swimming medals and she also enjoyed horseback riding. In her 40s she went on to attend Bronx Community College, Lehman College, Pace University and was part of the first graduating class of a new Master’s in Nursing program at New York University where she did a paper she always remembered fondly, on nursing in space. Traveling later in her life, she went many places in Europe, loving England and the friends she met there, a dream vacation to Egypt, fulfilling a lifelong desire to see the pyramids and flew on the Concorde, telling family members it was the closest she would ever get to being in space; Margaret had an extraordinary spirit of adventure.
She was fiercely proud of her academic achievements; her post-secondary road to a nursing career began after her children were in school; she went full and part-time to schools for 11 years and then was always devoted to ongoing education. She was a member of Sigma Theta Tau, an International Honor Society of Nursing. Margaret was proud of being a nurse, then a nursing supervisor, administrator and teacher, always tough but loving, working for many years at then-Misericordia Hospital in the Bronx and other places, retiring as a nursing supervisor for Sylcox Nursing Home in Newburgh, NY. She was given a lifetime honorary membership in the area’s Long Term Care Educators Association in recognition of her service.
A widow at age 47, she worked hard to see her three teenage daughters launched in the world. While there was not much travel in the children’s growing up years, she would pick one New York City landmark or museum every school vacation and then she and children and often some of their cousins, too, would traipse around New York City and soak in new experiences.
Having been to a reunion of the U.S. 8th Army Air Force with Vito, she continued her participation in that organization after his death and traveled all over the country and in England with that group, making many friends and continuing to honor Vito’s service to his country along with that of so many others. She was blessed with a wonderful friendship in her senior years with Michael Billy, who also predeceased her.
Margaret was an active member of St. Thomas/St. Joseph of Canterbury. She lived life to the fullest, helping all she could, be it with a helping hand or research to help bring insight to important community issues. She had many friends at Brookside in Cornwall, where she lived for nearly 37 years, with special gratitude to her walking partner there, Gloria.
The family will be forever grateful for the loving care given to her the last year and a half by the staff at Braemar Living, Memory Care in Wallkill.
Visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 18th at Quigley-Sullivan Funeral Home, Inc., 337 Hudson Street Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 19th at St. Thomas of Canterbury Church, 340 Hudson Street, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY. Interment will follow the Mass at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions gratefully received to the St. Thomas Food Pantry, as Margaret was deeply devoted to contributing there. Having grown up in the Great Depression, she never wanted anyone else to go without enough to eat.
Arrangements are entrusted to Quigley-Sullivan Funeral Home, Inc.; to send condolences or to get directions to the funeral home, please go to www.Quigleybros.com