Anthony Signorelli

SIGNORELLI Anthony, Dr., 73, of Mountainside, Chair of the Psychology Dept. of Union County College, passed away on February 21, 2009, after a long battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his family. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 25, from 2-4 and 6-9 PM, at Dooley's Funeral Home in Cranford. A Funeral Mass will be offered at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Mountainside at 10 AM on Thursday, February 26. Born in Union City, Dr. Signorelli graduated from Emerson HS. He served in the Air Force as a radio operator in Libya during the Cold War before entering college. He earned Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Psychology from Rutgers, and his PhD from Yeshiva University in 1975. A member of the Union County College Faculty for 38 years, in addition to Chair of the Psychology Department and Professor, he also was elected to four terms as Chair of the Faculty and was asked to serve as Dean of the College. He raised his children in Piscataway before settling in Mountainside. Dr. Signorelli was a great lover of reading and a connoisseur of classical music, able to name even obscure works just by listening to a few notes. His favorite classical composer was Beethoven. He also enjoyed international travel. He was a renowned and well-loved professor, respected by his colleagues and appreciated by his students. His work in Psychology focused on memory and intelligence as well as on the biological roots of behavior. He is predeceased by his parents, Anthony and Katherine Signorelli, and his sister Dorothy Vaccaro. He is survived by his beloved wife of 15 years Virginia Signorelli of Mountainside, and his loving children, Simone Signorelli-Rechtenbaugh and husband Glenn of Bridgewater, and Mark Signorelli and fiancée Ursula of Somerset, six step-children, eighteen step-grandchildren, and extended family.