Obituary of Phyllis Ann Aquino

Phyllis Ann Aquino passed away on April 23. 2018.  She was 77 years old.  Phyllis was born on July 8, 1940 in Morristown NJ to Nunzio and Eva (nee DiFiore) Aquino.  She was a lifelong resident of Montville, NJ.

Phyllis was a gregarious person, kind, loving, thoughtful and always smiling. She was always willing to offer her help to anyone who asked despite her own limitations.  She was always able to see good in everyone she met.  Phyllis was also the Aquino and DiFiore families’ historian of record.

Her greatest love was music.  She was an accomplished pianist, and shared her talent many times with her church.  Phyllis also volunteered her assistance to The Ministers of Music at both St. Pius X Church in Montville and St. Cassian’s Church in Montclair as a music librarian.  She was a member of the St. Pius X Rosary Society.  In her earlier years, she studied voice with Walter Blazer of Montclair, and earned an Associate in Arts Degree in 1976 in Music Theory at County College of Morris.  Phyllis had a beautiful soprano voice, and was a member of the St. Piux X choir for 57 years, a member of the Masterwork Chorus for over 45 years, and a member of the Morris Conservatory Choir for ten years. She also performed in lyric opera at the Essex Opera Theater.  The composer Beethoven was her idol.

Phyllis also earned a degree in anthropology in 1984 at Montclair State College, now Montclair University.  She was a lover of animals and nature, and a true “green-thumb” gardener.

Phyllis worked for many years as an administrative assistant initially at several publishing companies in New York including McGraw - Hill, as well as at WNBC in Rockefeller Center. She completed her career at AT&T, and retired in 2003.

She was predeceased by her brother Paul Aquino.  She is survived by her sisters, Virginia Aquino and Mary Lou Aquino, both lifelong residents of Montville, NJ, three nieces, and several great nieces and great nephews.

A celebration of her life will be held Friday, April 27, 2018 from 4 PM to 8 PM at Dangler Lewis and Carey Funeral Home, 312 West Main Street, Boonton, NJ 07005.  The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 AM on Saturday April 28, 2018 at St. Pius X Church, Changebridge Road, Montville NJ.  Entombment will follow immediately at Holy Rood Cemetery Mausoleum on Whippany Road in Morristown, NJ.

Letters of condolence may be posted at www.danglerlewisandcareyfuneralhome.com  In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to National Gaucher Foundation, 5410 Edson Lane, Suite 220, Rockville, MD 20852 (www.gaucherdisease.org).