Josephine Iaccheo

Josephine Iaccheo, 96, of Tottenville, a retired seamstress and dedicated homemaker who be remembered for her zest for life, died Friday in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, N.J.

Born Josephine LaRussa on Manhattan's Lower East Side, she moved with family to Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, as a girl, and lived in Brooklyn until 2002, when she moved to Dongan Hills. She had lived in Tottenville for two years.

A graduate of Central Needle Trades High School in Manhattan, Mrs. Iaccheo worked as a seamstress in Brooklyn for many years and had been a member of the former International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. She retired in 1983.

She enjoyed being a member of the Narrows Club in Brooklyn.

Mrs. Iaccheo had many interests, including crocheting, baking and sewing. She loved going on family vacations and enjoyed listening to music and dancing.

She treasured time with her family, and adored her great-grandchildren.

She was the matriarch, the rock of our family. It's hard to find words to describe her. She enjoyed life, and she had so much energy. She did more in her 90s than most people do in their lifetime. She was kind and considerate, and thoughtful; she never missed a birthday. We will miss her so much, said her granddaughter, Lucille Conroy.

Mrs. Iaccheo was a parishioner of St. Thomas the Apostle R.C. Church, Pleasant Plains.

Anthony, her husband of 47 years, died in 1991.

Surviving, along with her granddaughter, are her daughters, Cynthia Romeo and Elaine Brower; three sisters, Sarah Gribando, Cindy Amatore and Mary Scala; five more grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

The funeral will be Monday from the Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home, Tottenville, with a Mass at 10:30 a.m. in St. Thomas the Apostle Church. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Pleasant Plains.

Services: A 10:30 Mass of christian burial on Monday June 15 at St Thomas the Apostle R.C. Church. Burial will take place at Resurrection Cemetery.

Visitation: Sunday June 14 , 2015 from 4-8 PM

Cemetery: Resurrection Cemetery (Staten Island)

Location: Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home

Church: St. Thomas The Apostle RC Church