Sophie Colucci

Sophie Colucci died at her home in Toms River, NJ on November 23, 2022 at the age of 95.
She is predeceased by her loving husband Edward who passed away in August 2020 after a 12-year decline from dementia. Sophie was his steadfast advocate and sole caregiver during that time, meticulously attending to his every need. Sophie is survived by her two daughters, Nancy and Cynthia ("Cindy"), sons-in-law Steven and Barry, grandchildren Merissa, Douglas and Erica and great-grandchildren Sebastian, Alicja and Brooklyn.
Sophie was born in Biddeford, Maine to Greek immigrant parents and grew up with four sisters and one brother. She was a natural, brilliant student - often self-taught - who loved learning and never stopped learning throughout her lifetime. At a very young age, she was sent to live with her eldest sister in Brooklyn, NY to help her sister care for her infant daughter. The rest of her family followed to Brooklyn a few years later after her father's passing. Sophie earned honors and awards throughout her education and graduated as Valedictorian from Girl's Commercial High School in 1945. She then began working for an orthopedist at the Hospital for Special Surgery where she eagerly absorbed everything about the human anatomy and basic medicine. She held subsequent positions in the medical field, including medical transcription at Kings Highway Hospital, when her children became teenagers. Her thirst for knowledge and love of medicine made Sophie the family's "in-house" doctor whose advice and diagnoses were often proven right by medical doctors and specialists.
Sophie helped her husband establish and manage a successful furniture restoration business and shared her husband's love and appreciation of fine arts and antiques. While living in Brooklyn, they formed everlasting bonds with an incredible group of friends and enjoyed decades of special and cherished memories with them. After she and Edward retired to Toms River, NJ, Sophie continued to be an active and skilled tennis player, enjoyed Mahjong, loved crosswords, and remained an avid reader and member of the Greenbriar Woodlands Book Club. She proudly and diligently completed the NY Times crossword puzzle on a daily basis and set aside the Sunday puzzle as a shared and much enjoyed endeavor with her daughter Cindy – always exclaiming that "two brains are better than one"!
Sophie was forever passionate about her family – always caring and generous of herself. She not only instilled her love of life, art, music and words in her family but also served as a model of integrity, resilience, determination and independence. Her unique wisdom, spirit, wit and love will live on in us all.
Visiting will be Tuesday from 2:00pm until 5:00pm at the Silverton Memorial Funeral Home 2482 Church Rd., Toms River. Funeral services will be Wednesday, November 30, 2022, 11:00am at the funeral home, Interment will follow at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veteran Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations to Alzheimer's New Jersey 425 Eagle Rock Avenue, Suite 203, Roseland, NJ 07068 would be appreciated.