1943 – 2025
Noreen Donovan Nuzzi, beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, and friend, passed away peacefully of natural causes on Monday, November 3, 2025.
Born and raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Noreen was the youngest of three children of Nora (Downing) and Stephen P. Donovan Sr. She grew up alongside her cherished sister, Margaret (Peggy), and brother, Stephen Jr., forming lifelong bonds rooted in love and family.
A graduate of Bellevue Nursing School in New York City, Noreen devoted her early career to caring for others as a hospital and private duty nurse—a profession she pursued with warmth, patience, and skill. On May 31, 1965, she married the love of her life, Vito Nuzzi. The couple moved to Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, where they raised three children: Andrea, Barbara, and Paul.
The family thrived in their New Jersey community, making lasting friendships and creating a welcoming neighborhood. Noreen was an amazing cook; having learned all of the Nuzzi and D’Amato family recipes, she was voted yearly the “#1 Irish-descendant Italian cook” by her family and friends. Noreen and Vito helped start the neighborhood Gourmet Club, hosting monthly themed dinners that became a cherished tradition among their neighbors. Hosting family or friends for dinner was something Noreen truly loved.
As the children grew, Noreen and Vito balanced family life with their careers—Vito as a mechanical and structural engineer, and Noreen as a dedicated nurse. The family spent summer vacations on Cape Cod with the Sullivans, at Rockaway Beach with the Cesaro’s, and traveled to Ohio for Thanksgiving with the Sullivans and Donovans. Other family traditions included canning tomatoes over Labor Day weekend, making homemade pasta, picking black raspberries for making jelly, watching the kids play sports, and attending Mass at MBS Church on Saturday evenings. Noreen loved to garden and made a homegrown tomato sandwich that seemed to get better every summer.
Following their children’s college graduations, Noreen and Vito retired in January 1994 and moved to Melbourne Beach, Florida, to begin their next chapter. There, they embraced a relaxing lifestyle, forged new friendships, and enjoyed frequent visits from their children and extended family. Noreen and Vito traveled both abroad and across the U.S. to see their loved ones until Vito’s passing in September 2007. Noreen continued to enjoy her vibrant circle of friends in Melbourne Beach until the fall of 2022, when she relocated to Riverdale, Bronx, NY, to be closer to her children.
Noreen is survived by her brother, Stephen Donovan Jr.; her three children, Andrea, Barbara, and Paul; sons-in-law, Alphonso White and Andrew Fees; her cousin, Jean Downing; her nieces, Kerri Sullivan, Sheila Sullivan, and Katie Donovan-Waltham; and her nephews, Michael Sullivan, Daniel Sullivan, Sean Donovan, and Brendan Donovan. She will also be missed by her grand-dog, Jack, and her grand-cat, Lulu.
She was preceded in death by her sister, Peggy; her nephew, Patrick Donovan; and her dear friend, Christine Cesaro.
Noreen will be remembered for her generous spirit, her deep devotion to family, her support for democratic politics, and the warmth and laughter she brought to everyone she knew. Her legacy of love, friendship, and community will live on through all whose lives she touched.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to a charity supporting nurses, caregivers, or a cause close to your heart.