Obituary of Barbara J. Rispoli
Barbara Rispoli, a long-time resident of Warren Township, NJ passed away peacefully with family by her side on October 31, 2021 at age 85 after a long illness.
Barbara was born September 16, 1936 in Passaic, NJ and grew up in East Rutherford. She was the youngest of 3 daughters of Walter and Hazel Sabat. She often spoke of playing in the East Rutherford swamps as a child which now is site of the Meadowlands sports complex as well as her days commuting into Mid-town Manhattan as a young woman working for the Bell Phone Company.
Her life changed forever after a chance meeting down at the Jersey shore in Belmar where she met the love of her life, Vincent Rispoli. As she often told the story, Vince was a handsome young man driving a new Buick LeSabre convertible and the rest was history. They were married on April 8, 1961 and shared laughter, tears, and the joy of raising 3 children over the next 60 years. They moved to Warren from Irvington, NJ in 1965 where she lived the rest of her life. With frequent visits to Palm Beach Garden, Florida every February.
Barbara spent over 20 years as an employee of Fred Dealaman Bus Service. She was an active member of Our Lady of the Mount Catholic Church where she taught catechism classes and served as Alter Rosary Society president. She gave her family the gift of faith. Her other passion was her beloved Yankees. She rarely missed a game and, like any avid fan, could be heard complaining about the lack of pitching or the inability to get a hit in the clutch, but she always watched! Barbara also enjoyed working every election day at the polls in Warren and felt it was a small way to give back.
She loved the warm weather and was always very comfortable poolside on a nice lounge chair with a cool drink in hand. Although she had her “signature” dishes such as pot roast and meatloaf as a cook, her standard response to the question, what’s for dinner? was, “ I don’t make dinner, I make reservations.”
Barbara’s greatest joy was always her family. She is survived by her beloved husband Vincent Rispoli, son Gary Rispoli (Tria), daughters Janet Nardone and Kathy Thornton (Don). She is also survived by grandchildren Michael Schmidt, Victoria Schmidt, Brian Rispoli, Courtney Nardone, Michael Rispoli, Patrick Rispoli, R.J. Thornton and Dakota Thornton.
A visitation will be held on Thursday, November 4, 2021 from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., Watchung, NJ. A funeral mass will be held on Friday, November 5, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. at Our Lady of the Mount R.C. Church, Warren, NJ. Entombment will follow at Somerset Hills Memorial Park, Basking Ridge, NJ.
For those who can not attend the mass, a live stream will be available at ourladyofthemount.org.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org.
