[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 110 (Wednesday, August 10, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 10, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         MARY DeNOVA IS HONORED

                                 ______


                            HON. HERB KLEIN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 10, 1994

  Mr. KLEIN. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to join the congregation of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in 
honoring Mary Tolomeo DeNova. Mrs. DeNova is a lifetime resident of 
Paterson, NJ, and a dedicated member of this community.
  Born on September 11, 1907, Mary DeNova has seen the city of Paterson 
take shape before her eyes. In her first Home on 138 East 18th Street, 
her parents Dominic and Catherine Tolomeo raised 12 children. Their 
already crowded two-family house became a welcome stop for Italian 
immigrants from the providence of Salerno. She fondly recalls the era 
of trolley cars, when her parents' home was festive, food seemed to be 
plentiful, and the table was always adorned with homemade wine.
  After finishing her formal education in the Paterson public schools 
at the age of 14, Mary began to work in the factories so prevalent in 
the Riverside section of Paterson. One such place, owned by Max, Sam, 
and Izzy Bornstein, was where a long and loving relationship began. It 
was at the silk mill that she met the foreman, Tony DeNova, to whom she 
was later married at St. Anthony's Church by Father Valenti in 1928.
  Mr. and Mrs. DeNova raised their three sons in Riverside. After World 
War II, the family bought and managed a corner store in which Mrs. 
DeNova worked for 41 years. She has a sense of compassion for the 
community which did not go unnoticed; her sons called her Welfare Mary 
for her ability to know who was down and out and make sure that they 
received what they needed.
  In addition to her 11 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren, Mrs. 
DeNova has been involved in a countless number of clubs and 
organizations, including a Charter Member of School No. 18, Riverside 
Vets Leisure Club, Passaic County Democratic Club, Catholic Council of 
Women, Blessed Sacrament Rosary Society, Blessed Sacrament Leisure 
Club, All Wags A.C. Auxiliary, the 5th Avenue Democratic Club, and many 
more. In fact, Mary still treks to her spot at the polls every election 
day, including primaries, making sure Democrats get a fair shake.
  Mary has seen many mayors and many priests come and go, but Father 
Richard Rusconi, the priest at Blessed Sacrament, and Mayor William J. 
Pascrell, Jr., a parishioner, could not be more proud of their longtime 
friend. The history of Paterson, NJ, cannot be written without 
including the life and times of Mary DeNova. I am very honored to ask 
my colleagues to pay tribute to Mrs. DeNova, and I wish her the best of 
luck in the future.

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