Obituary of Genevieve Scelfo

Genevieve (June) Scelfo, passed peacefully at dawn on May 24, 2018, just two days before her 83rd birthday. June was born at the Knickerbocker Hospital in New York City and was raised in Newark, New Jersey by her mother Janina Lukas (pre-deceased). June met Raymond Scelfo at the Woolworth's lunch counter where she worked after school, when she was a junior at Barringer High. Ray and June soon married and settled in Newark's Down Neck neighborhood and raised their four children. They divorced after 15 years of marriage,but got back together about 15 years later. They moved to Cape Coral, FL where they built their dream home, remarried and enjoyed an active retirement. June returned to New Jersey after Ray's passing to be near her beloved son Ray, Jr. where she has resided for the last 4.5 years. June was a feisty, flippant, funny, and fiercely independent woman. Her stubbornness and strong will helped her overcome a very difficult childhood and the challenges she faced as a single mom with four kids. Throughout it all, she always maintained a wry sense of humor. In the sixties, June taught herself to drive. She was proud of her driving skill and fondly remembered her first car - a 1967 canary yellow Rambler convertible — her ticket to independence. June was a stay at home mom when the kids were very young, but once she got her driver's license and new car she re-entered the working world. She worked at Hi-way Bowl on Route 22 and later with Smooth-On Industries. June was a passionate animal lover. Her dogs were her best friends, her family, and her solace. She always had a pet in her life, from the first family dog and cat, Cricket and Buttercup, to the award winning boxers that she bred, raised, and showed, to her last beloved pets, Casey, Ava, and PishPish. She had at least 12 dogs, 4 cats and 2 birds during her life. As a working mom, June found time to belong to a bowling league, crochet afghans, and paint-by-number. As a Florida retiree, however, she flourished and explored many interests and had many friends. She was involved with their Community Safety Program and was even a neighborhood captain. June became an accomplished quilter and was a member of the Cape Coral Quilting Guild; a number of her family and friends are fortunate to have one of her beautiful and colorful quilts. She and Ray Sr. also played on the Bocce Ball League, gadded about with the Gadabouts (a dining club), hosted card-games at their home, went on several Caribbean and Mediterranean cruises, and traveled to Italy and California to visit family. June is survived by her sister, Diane Parling of Anchorage, AK; her four children Genine Scelfo (Mike Dalbey) of Santa Cruz, CA, Raymond Scelfo Jr. (Astrid Fisco) of Manalapan NJ, Vincent James Scelfo (Carol Scelfo) of Millstone, NJ, Katherine Downey (John Downey) of Brunswick, GA; and seven grandchildren - Camille, Raymond, Amanda, Nicolas, Garrett, Kayla, Patrick. Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial gathering on Wednesday May 30 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at the Freeman Manalapan-Marlboro Funeral Home, 344 Route 9 North, Manalapan. A memorial service will be held at the funeral home starting at 5:30 pm. To leave a condolence or find directions, visit www.freemanfuneralhomes.com.