Bring on those lazy hazy crazy days of summer under the boardwalk; then weâre on our way to Cape May so we donât have to spend the summer in the city! How many of you remember all of those fabulous summer tunes? Well if you donât, you have missed out on some truly great summer music. Look them all up on YouTube and enjoy!
Weis Markets announced on July 3 that it will support our troops and sell U.S. Army branded paper towels in honor of the Fourth of July holiday. A portion of the sales from the paper towels will help support the U.S. Armyâs Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs, which offer soldiers and their families opportunities to enrich their lives culturally and creatively and are designed to relieve stress, build strength and resilience, and help the Army Family stay physically, mentally, and financially fit. âHelping to support our nationâs active military and veterans is something we are proud and honored to do,â said Kurt Schertle, chief operating officer at Weis Markets. âWhether itâs through the sale of private-label U.S. Army paper towels or through the fundraising program Believe in Heroes to benefit Wounded Warrior Project, itâs our duty to say thank you and give back to our military as much as we can.â The paper towels, created by Global Tissue Group, feature the U.S. Army logo, the phrase âArmy Strong,â and images of military equipment.
As part of New Jersey Governor Chris Christieâs administrationâs continuing efforts to provide improved nutritional opportunities for school children, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher announced in June that 158 New Jersey schools will participate in the 2014-2015 school yearâs Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). The United States Department of Agriculture has allocated $4,021,620 for New Jersey for next school yearâs Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provides fresh produce to students during the school day, along with nutrition education. The goal of the program is to expose children to healthy foods, increase their fruit and vegetable consumption and set them on the road to improved lifelong dietary habits. For the first time, the Department of Agriculture will provide additional funds to schools for connecting their FFVP with the Farm to School Program. Eighty percent of the 158 schools have agreed to participate. âThe Fresh Fruit and Vegetable funds will be used to buy Jersey Fresh produce when itâs in season,â said Fisher. âIn addition to students eating healthy local fresh produce and learning about the food we grow right here in the GardenState, our farmers will benefit.â Starting in September, the selected schools will begin to offer fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis free to 74,475 students in 15 New Jersey counties each week.
Mark your calendars now for the fall event of the Greater Philadelphia chapter of the Network of Executive Women (NEW), November 6, 2014 at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, PA. Giant/Carlisle president Tom Lenkevich will be the keynote speaker. This will mark the first time Tom addresses the trade, so be sure to come out and hear what he has to say about Giant and the supermarket industry. For more information go to: www.newonline.com
To date, 2014 hasnât been my favorite year. The circle of life smacked me again as I lost my most cherished mother on July 6. This was a quick and unexpected passing and my family and I are still numb from her loss. I gave remarks of remembrance at the funeral Mass and wanted to share them. Rosalie Maggio was an extraordinary woman.
âGood morning. And so we meet again, although not the way we were hoping to. My brothers Michael and Larry, our families and my motherâs brother Peter Runfolo and sister-in-law Edna join me in thanking you all for your outpouring of condolence and support during this very difficult time in our lives. Losing one parent is painful, losing both within three months is both devastating and surreal. As many of you know, my mother had been battling stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer for a little more than two years. She did so with her usual grace and dignity, all the while taking care of my father, who although healthy, was falling deeper into the hole of dementia as time went on. When he passed in April, she was finally able to focus on herself and get back to doing the things she loved to do. Ultimately, it wasnât the cancer that took her from us, it was an infection. She wasnât strong enough to fight, even though we told her to keep trying. I also think she was missing my dad more than she was willing to admit to us. I know our Lord came to take her home last Sunday, but I can assure you that my father paid Him off and pulled in every favor to bring her to his side early because, even in eternal life, he needed her to make him fresh orange juice in the morning.
âMy mother was born in Newark, NJ to two wonderful people, Angelina and Larry Runfolo. She has an older brother Peter, who along with his wife has always treated us like their own children. What you may not know is that both sides of my motherâs family were also in the food business. Her fatherâs family had a large seafood business in Newark, Mansueto Fish Market and her motherâs family were butchers and grocers in Vineland, NJ. We come from a long line of foodies. She graduated from West SideHigh School and was a concert pianist. After high school she went to work at Allstate Insurance Company rising from a mailroom clerk to a junior underwriter in just three years. If it werenât for the fact that when she became engaged to my father and he made her stop working, I think she would have broken the glass ceiling with her high heels!
âHer married life in Philadelphia was a charmed one. But, just being a housewife wasnât enough for my mom. She couldnât work because my dad wouldnât allow it, so she began volunteering, first at Friends Select School (FSS) as a class mother for all three of us, running the school fair and eventually as president of the PTA. She evolved into a professional volunteer, a woman of charity. And, as a Do-Gooder, which is coincidentally the last charitable group she joined. She made many new friends while raising money to give small donations to many needy groups. She worked at Childrenâs Hospital before it moved to University City in the pharmacy as a pink lady, helping deliver medicines from the pharmacy.
âWe moved from South Philly to PennValley in 1967. Thatâs when the volunteering went into full swing. I know I am going to forget a few of the groups with which she worked, but hereâs a sampling: Penn Valley Womenâs Club; Penn Valley Civic Association; Mann Music Centerâs Womenâs Auxiliary Committee; The All Star Forum with Moe and Ruth Septee; The Philly Pops with Peter Nero, who then became a good friend; National Association for Hearing Research. She also transcribed books into Braille. My father used to say to her, âHow many more things are you going to do?â However, all of these paled in comparison to her work with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Our new neighbors in Penn Valley, the Ducats, had a son Larry who was a type 1 diabetic. We knew nothing about this disease, only that we werenât allowed to let him have any candy from the famous candy drawer in our house. From its inception in 1970, with no diabetes in our family, she volunteered at JDRF in every capacity known to the organization. She chaired dinner dances, ran national telethons, was on the committee for the first Walk to the Cure, did data entry, folded a million envelopes (she also enlisted us to help with that), and on and on. So deep was her involvement that the chapter created the Rosalie J. Maggio Volunteer of the Year Award, the last of which she awarded a few weeks ago. Back in 2001, my mother was awarded the first Lifetime Achievement Award by JDRF. Walking her up to accept the award was my son Gino, who six months later would be diagnosed himself as a type 1 diabetic, or as we now say ât1d.â I always say that it was part of Godâs plan. She did all this work, raised all this money so research could be done to make my sonâs life easier. In fact, it was my mother, who when Gino was diagnosed with a blood sugar of 862 and we couldnât get his blood sugar under 500, threw us all out of Childrenâs Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and worked with him, making him drink diet iced tea until that sugar level broke 500 and leveled out. At one of the JDRF galas, His Eminence, the late John Cardinal Krol was being honored. My father introduced me to him, only worried that I would forget to kiss his ring (I didnât forget). When I told the Cardinal that I was Rosalie Maggioâs daughter, he responded: âAh yes, Rosalie Maggio, the iron hand in the velvet glove.â How perfect was that?
âMy mother always knew what she wanted and knew how to get it. Whether it was a corporate donation for JDRF or something for us, she didnât stop until she got what she wanted. When Gino was born, knowing my love of bears, his dad gave me a Tiffany bear with a smaller bear dangling from its paw. When my daughter Rosalie was born, he wanted to add a bear to the other paw, so he went to Tiffanyâs to have it done and they wouldnât do it. He was relaying the story to my mom and she said, âGive me that thingâ and off she went to see the manager of Tiffanyâs in Philadelphia. I now have the only Tiffany bear with two baby bears hanging from its paws. She wouldnât take no for an answer. And therein lies my motherâs other devotionâŠher family. I could go on for hoursâŠseriously. Anyone who knew her, knows that while she loved doing her charity work, her family always came first, especially my dad. Although my brothers and I are only three siblings, there are many of you in the audience who consider my mother as your own, and we are so privileged to call you our brothers and sisters. Anyone who came into our home was warmly welcomed and expected to stay for dinner. She loved cooking for everyone and was a superb hostess. Along with my dad, she hosted hundreds of formal dinner parties. I have learned everything I know about throwing a dinner party from my mother. Christmas at our house was an event. The entire Maggio family and any number of friends and strays were always in attendance. Thirty guests was nothing for my mom. One Christmas, she decided to go gourmet and make a French Christmas dinner. That didnât go over too well, and she had to deal with 20 Maggios pounding their knives and forks on the table chanting we want pastaâŠand on Little Christmas, we all gathered for a traditional pasta dinner! Family firstâŠand we live by that today. While she loved the three of us, I think her love of her grandchildren was unsurpassed. She was the consummate grandmother and always wanted the best for them. She told great stories, as did my dad, and made many memories with them. Just last Christmas we dusted off the old homemade pasta recipe and the kids learned first-hand from the best! To those four golden nuggetsâŠmay you know that Mom-Mom will always be by your side watching over you and making sure you do the right thing. I hope you will all take the legacy both your grandparents have left you and be charitable, humble and loving adults.
âMy mom was a needlepointing wizard and a gourmet cook (self- taught, I might add). She loved science fiction and always wanted to go up in a hot air balloon. The grandchildren were supposed to take her up this summer and I am hoping they all go together and blow bubbles up into the air with the hope that she will catch them from heaven. I also want to mention my motherâs friends. Honestly, could you have a better friend than Rosalie Maggio? I donât think so. From our days at FSS until moving to Sutton Terrace three years ago, she amassed and kept many friends from all walks of life. A loyal and trusted friend, she made herself available if one was in need of if they just wanted to have lunch. Please keep in touch with us and tell us âRosalie storiesâ so we can keep her spirit alive. Mom, you are now with the love of your life for eternity. Please watch over us, keep us safe and know that we will make you proud. Michael, Larry and I are so blessed to have had the privilege of calling you Mommy. You will always be the voice in my head telling me to stand up straight, put my lipstick on, fix my skirt and keep my hair off my face. We love and miss you forever.â
We send condolences to Mark Tarzwell, Ahold USA on the death of his mother, Sylvia Selig (nee Zvirbulis, Krievins) who passed away on June 27. Sylvia had an interesting life. Born in Riga, Latvia, she escaped with her parents to Germany and then to Sweden during WWII. They traveled from Spain in 1950 to the USA. After months spent on Ellis Island, they continued their journey in a Latvian borough of New York, soon moving to what they would call home for the remainder of their lives, Philadelphia. She was the beloved wife of Warren Wesley Selig and is also survived by children Mark A. (Donna) Tarzwell, Scott (Tricia) Tarzwell, and Lisa (Joe) Siebert-Aldinger; 14 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers an offering in Mrs. Selig’s name to the American Cancer Society P.O. Box 22718 Oklahoma City, OK. 73123-1718 would be appreciated.
Former Super Fresh buyer Henry F. Snyder passed away on July 2, 2014, at the age of 86. Beloved husband of the late Genevieve C. (nee Jarozynski), he is survived by his daughter Barbara Troiano, her husband James as well as a  granddaughter and a great grandson. Donations in Henryâs memory may be made to Make-A-Wish New Jersey, 1347 Perrineville Road, Monroe Township, NJ08831.
Congratulations to Donna Serio of Byrne Dairy on the graduation of her daughter Shannon Solt from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. Shannon is doing her residency in Baltimore at Sinai Hospital and is looking forward to her medical career as a pediatrician. Birthday shout-outs for the patriotic month of July go out to: Joe Fantozzi, White Rose; Wayne Couts, Burris Logistics; Kelly Tarzwell, Sartori Cheese Company; Tim Summy, industry veteran; and special wishes to my son Gino Marfuggi, who celebrates a quarter of a century this month. Buon compleanno a tutti!
Quote of the month: âI know God will only give me what I can handle, I just wish He didnât trust me so much.â Mother Teresa
