Elena Rita Priole

Elena Rita Priole, 84, died peacefully at home in Bensalem with her loving husband by her side.

She was the wife of John J. Priole Jr. The couple shared 54 years of friendship, love, laughter and fond memories.

As one of five daughters, Elena was the daughter of the late Armando and Isabella (Felizzi) Bruno born in Philadelphia, PA. Elena attended St. Rita's School from 1948-1956, where she played basketball and was very active in the school choir. She always sang in the Annual Christmas play. She graduated from St. Maria Goretti High School in 1960.

After high school, she entered the Order of the Missionary Sisters of St. Augustine, but found it was not for her, although she carried her faith with her as she went back to the lay life. She attended Pierce Junior College and received her associate's degree and then became employed at First Pennsylvania Banking and Trust Company where she held different positions. Because of her exemplary performance, she was asked to move into a management position as Supervisor of Personal Loan Investigations.

In 1970, Elena met her husband John at the bank and was married in 1971. Elena left banking when she happily found out that she was pregnant with her first daughter, Maria. They went on to have a son John and a daughter Elizabeth.

After raising her children, she was employed at the American Automobile Association and booked tour routes in the Travel Department. Later, she was employed at IRS for a short period.

Elena loved her family and she showed her love through her wonderful home cooked meals and desserts. She frequently made homemade sauce, braciole and homemade pasta, including ravioli even on Thanksgiving to accompany the turkey. She also made the best Italian escarole soup. Desserts were her favorite though! She made the most delicious ricotta cheesecakes and pizzelles on the holidays, and made sure the house had a Whitman sampler and Cello cherry cordials.

The only time she did not cook was on vacation, when she spent two weeks at her sister's home in Brigantine. It was one of her and the family's favorite two weeks of the year. They would go out to dinner every night at the shore, often to the Crab Trap and would go to Ocean City boardwalk for shopping and a Kohrs Bros. Ice Cream.

In addition to her children, her grandchildren were the light of her life. When her first grandchild was born she was so excited, especially when she found out it was a girl! More shopping on the boardwalk was in her future. She spared no expense for whatever they wanted, ice cream, clothes, and rides on the boardwalk. Those summers with them at the shore were the best.

Elena loved her sisters so very much! They brought her so much joy whenever they were together from the time they were children growing up in South Philadelphia to the very last days of her life. Over the years, she loved to cook homemade flounder and shrimp dinners for them and looked forward to Tuesday Scrabble games with them almost every week. She also enjoyed Saturday night dinners out with her husband, sisters and brothers-in-law in the last several years, as they did when they were first married!

In addition to her husband John, she will be greatly missed by her children, Maria Cagliola and her husband Felix Jr., John A Priole and his wife Oanh, and Elizabeth Grob and her husband Justin; her six grandchildren, Nick, Dylan, Isabella, Guiliana, Liliana and Jack. She is also survived by her sisters, Linda Rakowski and her husband Ted, Diana Kroger and her husband Richard, and Isabel Bruno. She is also survived by her sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Donna Schneider and her husband Ralph, Michael Priole and his wife Cathy; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. She is also the sister of the late Michelena Herpen and sister-in-law of the late Donald Herpen and Joseph and Linda Priole.

Relatives and friends are invited to greet Elena's family on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 from 9:30am, until the start of her Words of Remembrance and Mass at 10:45am, at St. Ephrem Church, 5400 Hulmeville Road in Bensalem, PA 19020. Interment will follow at St. John Neumann Cemetery in Chalfont, PA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Hospital of Philadelphia, Office of Philanthropy at 3551 N. Broad St. in Philadelphia, PA 19140 or www. https://donateshrinerschildrens.org;

To Covenant House of Pennsylvania, Development Dept. at 31 E. Armat St. in Philadelphia, PA 19144 or www. https://covenanthousepa.org/donate/; or to Philly House at PO Box 297 in Philadelphia, PA 19105-0297 or www.donations@phillyhouse.org.