Martha DePalma (nee DiTerlizzi), 81, passed on to eternal life on Easter Sunday, April 9th, 2023.
She was born at Margaret Hague hospital in Jersey City, but was a proud and life-long resident of Hoboken. From an early age, Martha was given the responsibility to care for her younger siblings so that her parents could operate the family restaurant which began in 1939. She was a fixture at Leo’s Grandevous for most of her life, working there as a server, hostess and cook as circumstances required. She worked side by side with her parents and siblings to establish Leo’s as a landmark location in Hoboken, known for great food and outstanding hospitality.
Martha graduated from Demarest High School in 1958 and began working for Metropolitan Life Insurance at the New York headquarters. She quickly became a supervisor of the data entry department in the early age of computer technology where one computer occupied the entire floor of the building.
She married her high school sweetheart, Ignazio DePalma on January 12th, 1963. Upon the birth of her first child, she became a devoted, full-time mother and homemaker, while always working part-time at the restaurant. She became very active in the Our Lady of Grace Mothers’ Guild and chaired many memorable fundraising events to benefit the OLG school and parish.
When in 1987, Leo’s Grandevous faced some operating difficulties, almost forcing a sale outside the family, Martha once again jumped to her father’s aid and singularly insured the seamless transition of family ownership to the next generation.
In 2008, Ignazio and Martha acquired A. Oliveri & Sons bakery supply company, where he had been employed since 1965. She quickly threw herself into this challenge and took charge of interstate logistics to insure timely deliveries of flour throughout the tri-state region and beyond.
Upon her retirement, she enjoyed travel with friends and family. She remained devoted to her husband, children and grandchildren, and adored her time with family at their summer home at the Jersey Shore, first in Mystic Islands and then in Atlantic Highlands. She was happiest poolside, reading a good book while taking in the panoramic view of Sandy Hook Bay.
A funeral mass will be offered at St. Peter and Paul RC Church in Hoboken, NJ on Wednesday, April 12th, 2023, beginning at 10am. There will be no visitation prior to the funeral mass. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to gather directly at the church.
Entombment will follow at Madonna Mausoleum in Fort Lee, NJ.
A visitation will be held at the Failla-McKnight Memorial Home; 533 Willow Avenue, Hoboken, NJ on Tuesday, April 11th, 2023, beginning at 3pm and concluding at 8pm.
Parking available in rear of memorial home, off sixth street, between Park Avenue and Willow.