Obituary of Irene Darrigo

Irene Darrigo, aged 84, passed away from complications of organ failure on Friday June 16th, 2017 at 12:53 pm at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. She was the eldest of two children of Charles and Carmela Caramico and leaves behind a younger brother, Phil who currently lives in Teaneck, NJ. Her family was by her bedside as she passed. Irene played the piano, loved math, was a veracious reader and was known for her "girl talks" as a child. She met Dominick Darrigo from Messina, Sicily at the age of 16 and was married shortly there after. She had 3 children, Marie, Gina and Paul Darrigo. Marie, had one daughter, Stephanie who has 3 children. She is predeceased by two babies and her daughter Marie. She was born in Paterson and lived in the Riverside section. She then moved to Totowa, where she spent the rest of her life being very active in the church and community. As an active Catholic she was a soprano in the church choir. Family was incredibly important as holidays and birthdays were celebrated events for gatherings. She was revered for her fried peas carrying the tradition from her mother as a staple plate at any table. Her nickname was "Irene the Coffee Queen" because Dunkin' Doughnuts was her favorite place to relax. Irene had long time friends with whom she played cards with, travelled regularly, went to church with and socialized in several of the senior clubs. She retired from Lois Berger as an accoladed employee. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a funeral service at the Festa Memorial Funeral Home, 111 Union Blvd., Totowa on Wednesday at 11:00 AM. Entombment to follow at Laurel Grove Mausoleum, Totowa. Friends may visit Tuesday 4-8 PM and Wednesday 9-11 AM.