Lipari was an employee at the BCSS Wood-Ridge Program for over 35 years. As a Special Olympian, she competed in various events. She won a gold medal for standing broad jump and the 50-yard dash.
The first woman member of the Rutherford Chapter of UNICO National, she served in many capacities, assisting with projects including fundraising for the Community Pantry, serving at the pasta dinner for Kip Center seniors and at the Arc Special Needs Canteen. She was appointed honorary co-chair of the UNICO National Mental Health Committee in 2004 by then-president Michael Mariniello, and she served for many years.
Lipari was a member of the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey and HANDS of North Arlington, a social organization for adults with special needs. "She will be long remembered for her charm and the joy she brought to many," information from the funeral home noted.
She is survived by her father, Salvatore Lipari; sisters Joan Tidona and her husband Frank, and Barbara Laborim and her husband Vinnie. She was predeceased by her mother, Frances.
Visitation will be from 2-4 and 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 4, at the Macagna-Diffily-Onorato Funeral Home, 41 Ames Ave., in Rutherford. The funeral will be from the funeral home at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, then to St. Mary's Church, 91 Home Ave., in Rutherford, for a 10:30 a.m. funeral mass. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, in North Arlington.
Memorial donations can be made to
- Special Olympics New Jersey, 1 Eunice Kennedy Shriver Way, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
- Rutherford First-Aid Ambulance Corps, PO Box 217, Rutherford, NJ 07070,
- Rutherford Community Pantry, Inc. 176 Park Ave., Rutherford, NJ 07070; or
- HANDS, Inc., 12 York Rd., North Arlington, NJ 07031.
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