Sylvia Macchia

Sylvia Macchia, more endearingly known as ''Mom'' was a loving daughter, sister,
mother, wife, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. She was a kind and
generous soul to all, except of course if you had somehow wronged her family.
She was born in Manhattan to Joseph and Margaret Fois, and quickly realized she was a Brooklyn girl. She joined her mother, father, three sisters, and older brother in their one-bathroom apartment. Soon that group was expanded with two additional beautiful sisters in what can only be described as a love-filled life in this same Brooklyn home.
After dating (but not kissing) several boys in the neighborhood, Mom met the love of her life Mikie, also known as Dad. Dad proposed before he began his service in the Korean War, and they were married in 1952 before he shipped out. The reception was a ''Football'' affair as it was referred to, with sandwiches and sides as the order of the day, and this reception was followed by thirty-seven years of happiness.
Mom worked on and off during her married life as her familial responsibilities allowed.
Having her mother around allowed some flexibility in her work life which always involved buying a new piece of furniture or a questionable shag rug. She loved working for the Federal Reserve, where her job was to count and burn worn out paper money.
During their married life, they were blessed with three beautiful children: Joseph, Michele and Salvatore. After Sal was born, they soon realized that they had the perfect child, and their family was now complete. Sylvia and Mike then moved their family to be close to her sisters, her parents, and at least ten nieces and nephews. How they worked out that geography is still not understood. Finally, they bought a house in the Midwood Section of Brooklyn with grandma and grandpa in tow. That house quickly became a home as Mom painted and wallpapered everything to her liking. As their children grew, their friends became part of Mom and Dad's extended family. Like her own childhood home, her home was always welcoming. Her coffee invoked honest conversations with visitors so that they often left laughing, and always left as friends.
Their children each lived at home until they were married, as they all moved out to
pursue their dreams. Mom's children's homes then became extensions of the love-filled home they grew up in.
Sylvia and Michael moved to New Jersey to begin the next phase of their wonderful life, but sadly in 1989 Mom lost the love of her life, and was suddenly alone for the first time. Try as her children did to have her move in with them, she proudly proclaimed ''No Thank You.'' She said ''I feel connected to your dad here. I love my children, but I could never live with any of you.''
Life for Mom continued to be good but lonely, and that was okay with her. She remained fiercely independent until her memory failed her. Her daughter became her guardian angel, working tirelessly with her husband while Mom continued to spend more time living with them. This continued for several years until that too became unsafe, and shemoved into an assisted-care community. As her health continued to fail, her daughter visited nearly every day and made sure Mom was always being well-cared for.
In the end, Mom's passing is a blessing. She lived many wonderful years as the
matriarch of the Macchia family. She instilled into all of them the belief that family is
everything, an understanding of which they will continue to practice in her memory. Her
pain has now ended, she is reunited with the love of her life, and they can finally look
down on their family together and smile with great pride at her time ''Well Lived.''
In lieu of flowers, please consider taking a long-lost friend to lunch, calling someone
you''ve been meaning to reach out to, and remember ''Mom'' as you do so.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10:00 AM on Saturday at Holy Child Church located at 4747 Amboy Road Staten Island, New York 10312. Interment will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Staten Island, NY.
The family will receive friends from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Friday, May 23, 2025, at John Vincent Scalia Home for Funerals, Inc., 28 Eltingville Blvd, Staten Island, New York.