Margaret A. Gesualdo

(nee Startare) On October 1, 2026, of Blackwood. Age 82. Beloved wife of the late Angelo. Devoted mother of Deborah Oehrle (Gary), Dorothy Grady, and Richard W. Grady. Loving grandmother of Andrew (Kristin) and Adam (Joy). Proud great-grandmother of Ruby, Iris, and Gideon. Dear sister of the late Nicholas, Geraldine, Joseph, Peter (Ruth), and Richard. Loved by many nieces and nephews.

Mom was truly a people person. She had a rare and beautiful gift of making everyone she met feel valued, and important. She made friends wherever she went and could strike up a conversation with just about anyone. And, often, she would tell a joke or say something funny simply to make someone smile or brighten their day.

To Mom, the people she encountered in her everyday life weren’t strangers; they were friends. Her mail carriers, bank tellers, and the people who worked at our local supermarket all knew her, loved her, and looked forward to seeing her. She had so many friends, and she was especially blessed to have several of her childhood friends by her side throughout her life, right until the very end. What a gift it was to have friendships that lasted a lifetime.

Mom loved to cook, but even more than cooking, she loved feeding the people she loved. She welcomed family and friends into her home any day of the week, but Sundays were especially special. She loved gathering everyone around the table for a big Italian dinner, filling the house with food, laughter, conversation, and love. For Mom, that was what life was all about, having the people she loved close by.

She had a wonderful life. It wasn’t an extravagant life, and she never needed it to be. She was content with what she had and was always grateful for the life she was given. She was incredibly proud to be a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and those roles brought her some of her greatest joy.

Mom loved her Phillies and, in her later years, learned to appreciate football and basketball too. She proudly rooted for all her Philadelphia teams alongside her beloved husband Angelo of 52 years. She absolutely loved bingo, going out to dinner, and especially any evening that might end with a trip to the casino. She loved to have fun, and, even more than that, she loved seeing the people around her having fun with her.

Mom had an extraordinary ability to see beauty in the simplest things. She could take something small or seemingly insignificant and somehow make it feel special, beautiful, and worthy of celebrating. She found joy in the little things, and she had a way of making those around her appreciate them too.

She especially loved playing games and giving gifts. Her annual Christmas Eve parties were a tradition she treasured. The house would be filled with great food, laughter, games, and beautifully wrapped presents, and her guests reflected the kind of person she was. Family and friends were there, but so were her neighbors, her mail carriers, the bank tellers, and the supermarket workers. Everyone was welcome in Mom’s home.

Mom truly understood the meaning of “love thy neighbor.” She would often say, with such genuine affection, “I have such wonderful neighbors.” She loved them and their families, and they loved her right back.

She gave people her time, her laughter, her kindness, and her love. She made room for everyone, and somehow, there was always room for one more at her table and in her heart.

In her final hours, she was surrounded by so much of the love she had spent her lifetime giving. Along with many of her beloved family members, some of Mom’s closest friends—and her best friend of more than 70 years—were there with her. After a lifetime of bringing people together, she was not alone. She was surrounded by the people who loved her, just as she had always wanted.

Mom lived a life filled with love, friendship, family, laughter, and countless little moments of joy. She left an imprint on so many hearts, and she will be deeply missed by everyone who was lucky enough to know and love her. Mom would end this by saying, “Stay safe, and if your nose runs and your feet smell, you’re built upside down.”

Family and friends are welcome to attend her viewing Thursday, October 8^th 10:00 – 11:30 am at the Egizi Funeral Home, 119 Ganttown Rd., Washington Twp. Funeral service 11:30 am.

“A Life Well Lived Is Worth Remembering”