Obituary of Venita Mary Passele

Venita Mary Passele, 80, of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, passed away peacefully on April 18, 2019.

Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Venita was the only child of Dr. George Steffanaci and Annunciata  Iacano. After graduating Clifton High School in 1956, Venita attended Douglas College where she majored in Spanish and French. There she met Nicholas Passele, an engineering student at Rutgers University. After their graduation, they married on June 19, 1960.  Together, they  raised three daughters in the family home on West Parkway in Clifton, NJ.

Venita dedicated her life to helping children and social justice. After earning her MA degree in education from Montclair State University, she taught Spanish and French  at the elementary as well as high school levels while occasionally filling in as the receptionist at her husband’s dental practice.  Never fully retiring, Venita worked as advocate for at-risk children and volunteered in public schools teaching English for speakers of other languages. She earned the affectionate nickname “Miss Bonita” from her students.

Her grandchildren called her “Nanny,” and they adored her. 

Throughout her life, Venita was a world traveler. She studied abroad at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City. Together, she and her husband travelled extensively throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe. Immersing herself in the languages and cultures, she forged meaningful connections wherever she visited.

Venita is survived by her husband of fifty-eight years Nicholas Passele; daughters NancyAnn Siegel, Georgene Mortimer, and Lori Lynch; grandchildren Loren Michael Mortimer, Anna Williams, Nicole Jankowski, Erica Roca, Jessica Lynch, and Rebecca Lynch; great-grandchildren Bella Williams, Alexander Jankowski, Caleb Williams, Stella Roca, and Amelia Jankowski.