Margherita DeCandia

With hearts full of love and cherished memories, we announce the passing of our beloved Margherita DeCandia on February 26, 2025. Born on November 11, 1934, in Molfetta, Italy, Margherita brought warmth, kindness, and an unwavering devotion to family wherever she went. In her early 20s, she left her homeland for a new beginning in America, first settling in Hoboken before making Jersey City her lifelong home.

Margherita was a woman of grace, strength, and intuition. She had an innate ability to offer wisdom at just the right moment and always carried herself with a gentle and caring spirit. Family was the cornerstone of her life, and she found her greatest joy in being a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was the heart of every gathering, filling rooms with laughter, stories, and the warmth of her presence.

Before dedicating herself to raising her family, Margherita worked as a skilled seamstress, a craft she continued to cherish throughout her life. She had an exceptional talent for sewing and designing clothing, creating pieces as timeless and beautiful as she was. A lover of ballroom dancing, she moved with elegance and passion, much like the way she lived her life—with joy, grace, and an unshakable love for those around her.

Margherita’s legacy of love lives on through her children: Eleanor Noel and her husband Bruce, Mark DeCandia and his wife Leslie, Frank DeCandia, Robert DeCandia, Madeline Brennan and her late husband John, and Peter DeCandia and his wife Michelle. She was a proud and adoring grandmother to Evan Noel and his wife Erin, Laura Ferraro and her husband Stephen, Andrea Noel, Brittany Folland and her husband Thomas, Hayley DeCandia, Skylar DeCandia, Anthony Scocco, Parker DeCandia, and Allie DeCandia. Her love extended to her great-grandchildren, Amelia, Cecilia, James, and Lily Belle. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins, and dear friends who will forever cherish her memory.

She is now reunited in eternal peace with her beloved husband, Pietro DeCandia; her parents, Ignazio and Maddalena Salvemini; and her dear siblings, Carmine, Corrado, Michael, and Saverio Salvemini.

A visitation will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 8:30 AM at Riotto Funeral Home, followed by a 10:00 AM funeral Mass at St. Paul of the Cross Church in Jersey City. Entombment will follow at Madonna Mausoleum, Fort Lee.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Margherita’s name to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital at www.StJude.org, honoring her lifelong love for children and her compassionate spirit.

Margherita’s love, kindness, and wisdom will forever remain in the hearts of those who knew her. Though she has left this world, her legacy of love and devotion will continue to shine through the lives she touched.