Jean G Gafforio

Jean Gafforio passed away peacefully at her home, in the company of her beloved nurses Alva & Arosa, at age 103. Jean lived a long, healthy & fulfilled life. She is preceded in death by her parents Tommaso and Michelina Gatti, husband Torquato Tom Gafforio, brother George Gatti, sister Amelia ODonnell, and niece Priscilla Marsala. She is survived by niece Maureen Bradford, great niece Gina Costanza, great nephew Rudy Marsala, great-grandnephew Nicholas Costanza, great-grandniece Natalie Costanza, and great-grandniece Brooke Lynn Marsala.

Jean, the eldest of 3 children, was born in New York, NY on December 25, 1907. Her parents were Italian immigrants from a small city in south-central Italy called Bagnoli. They came to the US at the turn of the 20th century, learned English and became a hard-working and successful middle class family. Jean grew up in a multi-cultural neighborhood in Brooklyn embracing the traditions of their German, Irish and Jewish neighbors and traveled often to Manhattan to experience the art and culture of the city. She maintained a close relationship with both of her siblings and rarely lived more than a few doors away from them throughout her life.

Fostered by her parents belief in higher education, Jean earned both a Bachelors and a Masters Degree in Education. She was the first woman in her family to achieve an advanced degree and felt strongly that all women should have the opportunity to learn and have access to a higher education to foster independence. Jean later married Torquato Tom Gafforio, the love of her life, and they had many happy years together before his passing in 1969.

Before retiring to south FL in the early 1970s, Jean was a special education teacher in NY City for 35 years & touched the lives of so many of her co-workers and students. She was esteemed by all of her colleagues, many of whom were life-long friends. She was often given the difficult kids as she was blessed with the art of igniting a spark in children who others had given up on. She was so well-loved by her students that, even into her late 90s, she had students in their 70s who still kept in touch with her.

During her summers off, Jean made it a priority to travel the world with her husband, sister and friends. In her travels, she visited every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Jean visited some of the most amazing landmarks including the Coliseum and St. Peters in Italy, the Parthenon in Greece, the pyramids in Egypt, the Wailing Wall in Israel, Red Square in communist Russia, and the Great Wall of China.

Jean also had a deep appreciation for art, music and dance and loved going to museums, the opera, the symphony, ballet performances, musicals and plays. She was also an avid reader. She loved contributing charitably to all of the arts and supported and fostered them in many ways.

While Jean never had children of her own, she had many nieces and nephews with whom she was very close and in whose lives she played a big part. She was truly a matriarchal figure of her family. She shared her love of art, music, travel and education with all of them.

Visitation for family & friends will be held from 2-3:00 p.m. on Friday, January 28, 2011 at the Fred Hunter Funeral Home in Davie. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory of Jean Gafforio to the American Cancer Society or the AAUW Educational Foundation.