Sallyann Mancini

Sally Ann (Sally) Mancini, age 91 of Holly Springs, NC, died peacefully at her home on Thursday, February 2, 2023.
Sally and her brother Douglas John Manson were born in New York City, the children of John Oliver Manson and Sarah McEvoy Manson. John Oliver Manson was a stowaway on a boat from Sweden when he was barely a teenager, and never seemed to lose the wanderlust that initially drove him to board that boat. Sarah McEvoy Manson was an immigrant from Ireland, a woman of strength and character.
Sally grew up in the Bronx and graduated from Cathedral High School in New York at age 16. Prior to marrying Joseph John Mancini in 1953, she worked as a bookkeeper at the Phoenix Indemnity Corporation, a secretary at the Union Carbide Corporation, and in the sports department of WOR-TV. She served as the secretary for the Wyckoff Chamber of Commerce while raising her six children and was a personal banking representative at United Jersey Bank from 1978 to 1993. Sally and Joe began their family in Sunnyside, Queens, before moving to New Jersey - Saddle Brook, Glen Rock, and Wyckoff.
Sally was married to Joe for 34 and 1/2 years. "How comforting it is to just relive the wonderful days we had. As we often said to each other, how blessed we were. We were like two peas in a pod - as God made us, he joined us. Not every day of the 34 and 1/2 years we were together was remarkable individually, but together those hundreds of days added up to one terrific journey."
Following Joe's death, Sally moved to Wappingers Falls, NY before eventually settling in Milford, Delaware and marrying Alexander Kotwas. Alex had also been married for 34 and 1/2 years before the death of his wife Dell and was a boyhood friend of Joe. "Alex and I had 23 years together. 23 years that neither of us expected to have and we enjoyed every single one until Alex came down with acute leukemia and died in 2015. Was this kismet or the stars aligning or what? How could I have been so lucky to find two such wonderful men with whom to share my life?"
Following Alex's death, Sally lived in Herndon, VA and in Holly Springs, NC.
Sally loved to travel. She and Joe traveled to Ireland and Europe, and Sally and Alex embraced cruising with a vengeance in their retirement, taking 28 cruises to every part of the world. Sally was fiercely independent despite being widowed twice, the first time at age 56. She credited her faith with getting her through many of life's tragedies, "I believe God will show me the way if only I have the presence to recognize His help when He sends it. His help isn't always packaged with a bow, so therefore I recognize my ability at times not to see what's right before me. I don't understand what God has in mind for me, but I hope when it arrives I'll know it."
Sally is survived by:
Her son John (Mary Glenn) of Apex, North Carolina, and their children: Joseph (Jackie) and great-grandchildren Lucy and Alex; William (Nathalie); and Erin Dukoff (Spencer) and great-grandson Arlo.
Her daughter June Rickli (Bill) of Holly Springs, North Carolina, and their children: Chris (Roberta) and great-granddaughters Claire, Emma, and Grace; Dan (Casey) and great-grandchildren Nora and Jack; and Sally's goddaughter Kate.
Her son Joseph (Karen) of Brick, New Jersey, and their children: Kelly Murphy (Michael) and great-grandsons Declan and Carson; Katelyn Jackson (Nicholas) and great-granddaughter Malia.
Her daughter Jennifer Carroll (Gary) of Jacksonville, Florida, and her children: Chrissy Carroll (Terry) and great-grandson Devon; Jimmy (Casey) and great-granddaughters Harper and Palmer; and Leann Carroll (David).
Her son Jeff (Kathy) of Midlothian, Virginia and their children Emily and Douglas.
Her daughter Jeanne Beres (Roy) of Kirtland, Ohio, and their children: Rebecca, Sally's godson Brian, and Ben.
Alex's four children and their spouses, two grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.
Sally, her husband Joe, and their six children were residents of Wyckoff and members of St. Elizabeth's from 1965 through 1991. Sally was predeceased by husbands Joseph John Mancini and Alexander Kotwas, brother Douglas John Manson, and by grandchildren Kourtney Mancini and Nicholas Beres.
Visitation is Friday, February 24th from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Vander Plaat Funeral Home in Wyckoff. A funeral mass celebrating Sally's life follows at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of Saint Elizabeth with interment to follow at Maryrest Cemetery in Mahwah. Live streaming of the service at 11:00 will be available at https://saintelizabeths.org/live-streaming.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Sally's memory to Camp Ho Mita Koda in Newbury, Ohio and Metamora, Michigan. Founded in 1929, Camp Ho Mita Koda is the first and oldest operating summer camp in the world for kids with T1D. Memorial contributions can be made online at the website (https://camphomitakoda.org/donate/) or by mail to : Camp Ho Mita Koda, 14040 Auburn Road, Newbury, OH 44065.
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