Obituary of Carmine Stramaglia
Carmine Stramaglia, age 83, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 10, 2023, at his home in North Plainfield, surrounded by his loving family.
Carmine was born and raised in Avellino, Italy. He survived World War II and its many hardships, but always reflected on the happy times of his childhood in Italy. There he attended secondary school for machinist training. He moved to the United States in 1960 at the age of 20 with his family and embraced the American dream. He took classes to learn English so he could better lead his family bilingually and began a lifelong career as a machinist. He became an American citizen in the 1970s.
He began his career at Markay Bags in Plainfield, NJ, where he perfected his English ‘flirting’ with the seamstresses while learning how to maintain sewing machines, a skill he continued to use throughout his life. He then worked for Accurate Bushing Company in Garwood, NJ, for 30 years and then finally at L&Z Tool and Engineering in Watchung. His love of learning flourished at L&Z, where he was able to master the latest technologies in his field, never letting his age get in the way. Even after retiring in 2004, Carmine would regularly stop back at the shop to lend a hand.
In the fall of 1962, Carmine went to the German Club on Somerset Street in North Plainfield with friends. Unbeknownst to him, there he would meet his soulmate, Bonnie. They dated for four years and married in 1966. Bonnie and Carmine have been inseparable for 56 years. Together they built an amazing life focused on family and friends.
Carmine was a gentle, passionate, loving soul. He enjoyed spending time outside tending to his garden, but that was a means to an end because his true passion was cooking and feeding those around him. He truly believed in connecting with people through Italian traditions and food. No matter what he was cooking, you could always feel the love. He felt it important to carry forward recipes from those before him and pass them on to the next generations. Most of all, Carmine loved his family. His greatest joy was just having them around him. He was affectionately known as Nonno by his four grandchildren and all the family’s friends. Everyone loved being around him.
He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Bonnie Stramaglia; two children, his daughter, Toni Caruso and her husband Carl, and his son Scott Stramaglia; and four grandchildren, Grace, Gabrielle, Aiden, and Alex. He is also survived by a brother, Vittorio and his wife, Sandra, a sister, Tina Agnone and her husband, Pasquale, and a large extended family.
He was a long-time member of St. Luke’s RC Church in North Plainfield.
A visitation will be held on Friday, March 17, 2023, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., Watchung, NJ. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2023, at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Cremation services are private.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made in his loving memory to the American Cancer Society.
