CARMEN CICALESE

Carmen Vincent Cicalese A self-made man whose No. 1 priority was his family Carmen Vincent Cicalese passed away peacefully on Dec. 27, 2014, in Costa Rica. The viewing will be held at the Higgins and Bonner Echo Lake Funeral Home, 582 Springfield Ave. in Westfield, N.J., on Jan. 2 from 9 to 11 a.m. Entombment will follow at Hollywood Memorial Park in Union, N.J. Condolences can be sent to the family at www.higginsandbonner.com. Carmen was born in Newark, N.J., on Nov. 12, 1931, the son of Anthony (Pete) and Jennie Cicalese. Without a doubt, the most important thing to Carmen was his family. He was a successful self-made man with honor beyond reproach and a heart of gold. Carmen will be remembered most for his unyielding devotion to his entire family, and his kindness and generosity to his friends, colleagues and pets. He was truly a great man who will be dearly missed. Carmen married his high school sweetheart, Rose Ella D'Alessio, with whom he lovingly shared his life until her death. He is survived by their four children, Anthony, Jennifer Gonnello, Carmen Jr. and Patrick. He is also survived by son-in-law, Robert Gonnello; daughters-in-law, Uta and Ada; six wonderful grandchildren, Robert, Michael, Matthew, Katerina, Nicholas and Amber; great-granddaughter, Maya, and by his brothers, Anthony and Patsy Cicalese. Anyone wishing to make a donation, in lieu of flowers, please contact St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at stjude.org.