Concetta Parlante Pugliese January 9, 1924 – April 21, 2021 Concetta Parlante Pugliese, 97, passed away peacefully in her home on April 21, 2021. She is predeceased by her loving husband of 17 years, Ralph Pugliese who passed away July, 2020. Concetta (Connie) was born on January 9, 1924 to Antonetta and Geremia Parlante in Deliceto, Italy. In May 1931 the family immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, crossing the Atlantic by ship, Connie, her older sister Maria, and her younger brother Joseph, with Antonetta to join Geremia who was already in Brooklyn. Although the early years in Brooklyn were hard, Connie enjoyed herself. Her father would say “Concetta, sembra che stai sempre in villeggiatura” “Connie it seems as though you are always on holiday”. She loved the movies, music, and later in life would become an avid lover of the ballet. Connie and Ralph first dated in high school and then went their separate ways. Connie pursued a modeling career, dabbled in acting and singing; then at age 30 she joined the Order of the Visitation in Riverdale as a cloistered nun, where she remained for 17 years. In 1971 Connie again started a new life. Receiving dispensation from the Vatican, she left the order and worked as an aide at St. James Nursing Home on Long Island, worked as an aide in Boston, and as a governess both in North Carolina and upon her return to Long Island, in Huntington Bay. In 2000 she would have the great joy of hearing from her beloved Ralph, now widowed with three wonderful adult children. They were married on June 21, 2003. Connie was 79 and Ralph was 78. Ralph and Connie lived a joyous life. Traveling regularly to Florida where Ralph enjoyed his tennis; to Rome, and elsewhere all over Italy, listening to the opera each Saturday, and seeing the ballet every spring. As they grew older, they had the privilege of staying in their home in Edison, New Jersey, as they lived the final days of their lives. Connie is survived by her brother Joseph, two nieces Adele and Marisa and three step children, Victoria, Maryanne and Thomas. A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, May 7, 2021 at St. Matthew the Apostle Church, 81 Seymour Avenue in Edison, NJ. Interment will be at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island.