Plan for the Future
~~Elizabeth Florio passed away peacefully on the morning of July 7, 2017, after a long illness. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. James the Apostle Church, 45 S. Springfield Ave, in Springfield on Wednesday, July 12th at 10:30am. Interment will follow at St. Rose of Lima Cemetery. Friends are invited to visit at Bradley, Smith & Smith Funeral Home, 415 Morris Ave in Springfield on Tuesday from 4pm to 8pm. For further information or to send a condolence, please visit www.www.bradleyfuneralhomes.com.
She was born in Brooklyn at her grandmother’s home and spent her childhood and early adult years in the Bronx, NY, the first child of Rose and John Eforo. Showing intellectual promise at an early age, she was accepted into Hunter High School in Manhattan, where she graduated early and continued her studies in Hunter College, from which she received her BA in 1944, majoring in chemistry, and was elected a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She was among the first women to pursue a career in chemistry at the time, and worked as an analytical chemist at the General Chemical Company in Queens, NY, where she was involved in the development of pharmaceutical compounds. It was there that she met her beloved husband of 41 years, Patrick Florio. With a career advancement, the family relocated to Short Hills, NJ and later to nearby Summit. They were the parents of Patricia Florio of Princeton, NJ and Anne Lisa Florio of Chatham.
Elizabeth was a person of keen intellect, and her enthusiasm for culture and travel had a lasting effect on her family, as she encouraged artistic and academic pursuits. She was fluent in Italian, French, and German. She had a demonstrated ability in flower arranging and gardening, and was an officer and long-term member of the Rolling Hills Garden Club. Her corner perennial garden was considered a gift to the streetscape of Summit. She also was an asset to her community, becoming involved as a volunteer and officer with the Catholic Daughters of America, the Ladies Auxiliary of St. Rose of Lima Church in Short Hills, and at New Eyes for the Needy of Short Hills, a cause close to her heart as she herself experienced the loss of sight in one eye as a result of an accident. She co-edited a cookbook for St. Rose of Lima Church entitled “Add a Little Love”. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and friend who was always present with her wisdom and many acts of kindness and support. She was an avid reader, a lifelong subscriber to the New York Magazine, and a person with a sustaining interest in learning, as evidenced by her study in Shakespeare and active participation in a book group for many years. She also was a long-term member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and participated in organized trips to New York, in addition to travel to Europe and Alaska.
She was predeceased by her husband, Patrick (1990) and brothers John (2002) and Vincent (2013). She is survived by daughters Patricia and Lisa, son-in-law, Gregory, granddaughters Elizabeth and her husband Nathan, and Julia, grandson Ian, as well as many loving relatives.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in her memory to New Eyes for the Needy, 549 Millburn Avenue, Short Hills, NJ 07078.