Tillie Serio

Matilda (Wertz) Serio

Matilda “Tillie” (Wertz) Serio of Newark, New Jersey, died on Tuesday, September 18, 2018 in the Reading Hospital, Reading, Pennsylvania.

Tillie was born on November 20, 1925 in Newark to the late Lucas and Natalie (Grauberger) Wertz. She was married to Harry F. Serio who died in 1989. She is the mother of the Rev. Dr. Harry L. Serio of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, husband of Mary Ann; George F. Serio of Mountainside, New Jersey, husband of Lynn; and the late Robert A. Serio who died in 1993. In addition to her children, Tillie is survived by five grandchildren: Stuart S. Serio, Tasha A. Serio (Fleetwood, PA); Matthew J. Serio, husband of Courtney (Maidencreek, PA); George F. Serio, Jr., partner of Britney (Scotch Plains, NJ); Eric Serio, husband of Gina, (Springfield, NJ). 

Also surviving are six-great grandchildren: Madeleine (15), Alessandra (15), Eric (13), Ryan (12), Adriana (11), and Emilio (9).

She was predeceased by a brother, Richard Wertz (Grants Pass, OR); Elsie Wertz Essing (Newark, NJ); Dorothea Wertz Rygiel (Newark, NJ).

Tillie lived her entire life in the Ironbound section of Newark, mostly in the house where she was born. She also had a condo in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, where she enjoyed the beauty of the island with many friends and treasured the time with her dear friend, she considered a sister, Marta Gonzalez.  

Tillie was employed for 31 years by AT&T, working for Western Electric and Bell Labs as a laboratory technician. Her first job was with Northern Feather Works in Newark, making sleeping bags for soldiers during World War II.

She was a life-long member of St. Stephan’s United Church of Christ, Wilson Avenue and Ferry Street, Newark, where she served on Consistory, Women’s Guild, and as Anniversary chairwoman and Memorial Fund secretary.

She was a poet and a prolific letter writer, communicating with her many friends and relatives who looked forward to receiving her cards and valued her letters and notes. As the matriarch of her family, she looked forward to attending family gatherings and parties. Any conversation or phone call with family members never concluded without an expression of love. Tillie also enjoyed the monthly bus trips to Atlantic City with her friends.

Services will be held on Thursday, September 27, 2018 at Higgins and Bonner Funeral Home, 582 Springfield Ave., Westfield, NJ at 10:30 a.m., with her son, the Rev. Dr. Harry L. Serio, officiating. Relatives and friends may visit on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service. She will be laid to rest in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington, NJ.  

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