CURRENT CELEBRATIONS

Joyce Marie Rossi (Chiaccio)

July 4, 1940 – June 8, 2025

Joyce Marie Rossi (Chiaccio) was born on July 4, 1940, to Mildred Henderson and Frank Rossi. She was one of seven children: her beloved brothers, Richard, Robert, Roy, Ronald, and Wallace Rossi, and her older sister, whom she adored, Lila May (Rossi) Bendrick.  They each shared her wit, mechanical ingenuity, and zest for life.  They grew up in a lively and loving home in Riverside, New Jersey.  A proud graduate of Riverside High School, Joyce carried the spirited heart of her hometown with her throughout her life.

She married Michael J. Chiaccio (later divorced), and together they had three daughters: Rhonda Marie Chiaccio (Cardone), Joyce Ann Chiaccio (Yeager), and the late Lila Elizabeth Chiaccio (McKeon). Joyce was a devoted and adoring grandmother to Mitchell and Brittany Cardone; Jessica, Danielle, and Michael Yeager; and Jacqueline and Ashley McKeon. She also had 14 great grandchildren: from Brittany and Eric Heinel, children: Lilith and Evelyn; Danielle and Anthony Heizenroth, children: Anthony, Vinny and Emmy; Michael and Brittany Yeager children: Isabella and Charlotte; Jacquelyn and Jay Arce, children: Juliann, Andrew, Ben and Lyla; Ashley Mckeon children: Ana, Luke, and Aaron.

Joyce was proud of her rich and diverse heritage. A descendant of John Haynes, the third Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and first Governor of Connecticut, she honored her English, French and Dutch ancestry. Her mother’s lineage traced an unbroken line of Dutch settlers in New York dating back to the 1700s, while her father’s family emigrated from Italy, making Joyce a proud third-generation Italian-American.

She attended St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, where she studied business, and built a 20-year career as a marketing specialist at two prominent tunnel engineering firms. Her professionalism, creativity, and poise made her a respected presence in her field.

A true artisan at heart, Joyce had a gift for sewing and handcrafted a satin blanket for each grandchild upon their birth. Mechanically inclined like her brothers, she could often be found tinkering with appliances—successfully restoring them to working order, even if a few extra screws remained. Her sense of humor, sharp wit, and lightheartedness were trademarks of the Rossi spirit. Always stylish, gracious, and composed, Joyce was humble in possessions but refined in taste, with an eye for elegance and quality.

Her love for beauty extended to her garden, where she cultivated flowers, vegetables, and herbs with care and joy. A talented artist and a serious ballerina in her youth, Joyce brought grace, discipline, and creativity into all facets of her life.

She raised her family in Moorestown, New Jersey, later relocating to Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, to be near her eldest daughter and grandchildren, and eventually settled in Bridgewater, where she passed peacefully on Sunday, June 8, 2025.

Joyce will be remembered for her unwavering strength, timeless style, humor, and deep and abiding love for her family. Her presence enriched the lives of all who knew her, and her legacy lives on through the generations she nurtured and inspired.

The family created a scholarship in her name: Joyce R. Chiaccio, managed by her daughter, Rhonda Cardone, with the professional engineering organization, American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE) New York Metro, for “Empowering Women in the Engineering and Construction Industry”. In lieu of flowers, send  donation to the scholarship fund, by venmo to Rhonda-Cardone with subject: “ASHE Scholarship”. Rhonda is on the Board of Directors and VP for ASHE, she can be reached at rhondacardone@gmail.com.

Services will be held at a later date.