Catherine Vitolo

Catherine Vitolo, 95, of Waldwick passed away peacefully on March 3, 2025. Her parents immigrated through Ellis Island from Bari, Italy.

She was born in New York City in the Hell’s Kitchen/Garment District and attended The Fashion Institute of Technology HS. It was here where she learned to become a highly skilled seamstress for leading designers. Her sewing projects were so perfect you could literally wear them inside out!  While raising her family, she had a nice at-home business demonstrating her skills for her friend’s sewing projects. No project was too difficult, even making her daughter Rose’s wedding dress adorned with ~2000 hand sewn beads and sequins!

After moving to Waldwick in 1961, as a devout parishioner of St. Luke’s RC Church, she volunteered to hand embroider hundreds of baptismal bibs for the celebrated babies. 

Catherine also worked at Almedica, Inc. in Waldwick, as the final label reviewer for experimental drug clinicals. She often caught mistakes that others had missed –  another testament to her outstanding attention to detail! 

When not sewing, Catherine loved to cook and care for her family. Every person who ate her delicious Pistachio Bundt Cake requested that recipe! She had very good artistic ability which was passed down to her children and grandchildren. She loved the Yankees and played a pretty mean stickball in the streets of NYC! Her harmonica rendition of “Oh Susanna” brought a smile to everyone’s face!! 

Family was everything – Catherine was married to her beloved husband Joseph “Tony” for nearly 70 years when he passed in April 2020. They have five children: Phyllis Vitolo of Saddle Brook, Rose and her husband James Sarnowski of Hawthorne, Anthony Vitolo of Sloatsburg NY, Frances Vitolo of Hewitt and Joanne with her husband David Becker of Paramus. She is survived by her four grandchildren Richard, Katie and her husband Ed, Nicole and Joseph, and three great-grandchildren, Roselynn, Evelynn and Hazen. She is also survived by her beloved sisters-in-law, Anna and Filomena, who she loved as her own sisters, along with many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brothers, Joseph, Nicholas, Dominic and Vito. 

Catherine will be greatly missed by all, including the many wonderful friends from the Italian American Social Club of Waldwick. She was loving, warm and welcoming to everyone! May she rest in peace forever in our hearts.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Sunday March 9,2025 1pm -5pm at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home, 257 Godwin Ave. Wyckoff, NJ 07481. A  Funeral Mass is planned for Monday March 10,2025 10am at St. Luke's R.C. Church, 340  N. Franklin Turnpike  Ho-Ho-Kus ,NJ, Entombment to follow  at the Garden of Memories, 300  Soldier Hill Rd. Township of Washington, NJ 07676.  In lieu of flowers donations in memory of Catherine may be made to St. Luke's R.C. Church.

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