I felt incredibly honored to speak about Gigi at her service. When Steve first suggested both of us daughter-in-laws share a story, I initially hesitated. I wasn’t sure if I had a right to do so, after having only a few short years of her in my life. But knowing Gigi changed me.

I first met her long before I met Scott, in Jess & Dave’s Parkway Lofts apartment. My first thought, of course, was “Wow. Dave’s mom is beautiful”, which is generally everyone’s first reaction upon meeting her. A few years passed, and one January day, I saw as she often did, a Facebook post tagging her family at a local Jersey City bar, just a few minutes from where I was living at the time. In an effort to reconnect with an old friend (Jess) and meet her baby (Meadow), I joined them and was immediately greeted by Gigi’s huge smile. She remembered me from two years prior, saying oh, yes, you’re a photographer. I was shocked that this woman would remotely remember who I was, but I later learned that Gigi was just innately that way - despite her tough Italian-girl-from-the-Bronx attitude, she was incredibly sensitive and tuned in to the needs of others. She took note of everything you told her and stored it away for a later time; she had a way of making you feel seen. If you said you liked a certain object (or color or tv show), you better believe she remembered that fact and she’s buying you two of every item (or color, or TV show memorabilia) she finds. 

From the beginning, Gigi treated me like family and took me in as a daughter from day one. She made it abundantly clear she treated her two sons and two gained daughters equally, while also making each of us feel special in our own right.

I was thrilled to have this funny, fashionable, spunky mother-in-law. I imagined her by my side picking out a wedding dress and teasing me for weird baby names that I loved. Her wit was like watching a dance - she had a response to everything and always made it known. (To be honest, you’d think that I would have driven her crazy, with all of my opinions and sass, but she never made me feel like I should be anything less than myself in front of her.) Her unconditional love was a force to be reckoned with, and she had an innate read of people within moments of meeting them.

Scott and I got engaged in early November by her bed after she had started a new round of chemo. It wasn’t his original plan - but we stopped there to show her the ring, and in that moment, it felt genuine and real, for no one else but us. She filmed a video of the proposal, and in typical Gigi fashion, she annotated the whole thing - “Do you wanna marry him?” “Ok now put it on her finger” “FINALLY, ugh”

I will never not mourn the future we lost with her, the wedding she’ll miss, the babies she won’t meet. But I am grateful to her, every day of my life, for raising Scott into the man he is today. She taught him love - she taught all of us love, that unconditional, never going away kind of love - and now it’s our turn to carry on her legacy. I can only hope I’ll be half the mother she was, but I’ll do everything I can to come close. I love you Gigi, and I miss you every day. Thank you for being so special to me.

She used to always tell me to “call your mother” and I did as often as I could. It’s hard to face a reality where I can’t anymore.

When I moved halfway across the country she didn’t want me to forget about our family. Of course there was no possible way that would happen and I spoke to her all the time but I missed her even then. When I moved back a couple of years ago she couldn’t have been happier. I’m so grateful to have had her in my life.

My mom was the strongest, fiercest, most loving parent one could have. She raised me and made me everything I am today.

Rest easy mom. I love you. And miss you.

I met Gigi, when she was 11 years old when I was married to her uncle Dominick, she was always in my life, and my family.I will miss her terribly.My heart will always be broken, and I will never forget her.

I want to thank everyone that came out to pay respect and share in our love for Gigi and support of our family. I wanted to share here the words I spoke during her mass, so we may always remember the incredible woman she was and the beautiful ways she impacted our lives:




The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you’ll learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you want to be the same. - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

When I met and began dating Dave almost 15 years ago, before even meeting him face to face, I was fully aware of the love, respect, and admiration he had for his mother. When I fell in love with Dave, I knew I was falling in love with somebody who would always hold me in parallel to his mother in his heart. And I have always loved that about Dave – because I love Gigi just as much. 

Oprah has said that Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother. And Gigi so effortlessly proved that statement to be true. By her , I was loved like a daughter, treated like a daughter – enjoyed all of the things she never could with her boys (although let’s be honest, Dave did fill the daughter void for Gigi in many ways from shopping to the nail salon)….I have always had two jokes about Gigi, - jokes I would say to her face and be met with a squinty eyed “oh Jessi no you didn’t”. But I think they both speak volumes to the beautiful ways about her. The first was – never tell her when you like something…exhibit A. one time I said I thought owls were cute and I now own no less than 95 owl décor pieces around our home, …, because how could she pass by an owl and not buy it for her Jessi? I will cherish them forever and they each give my heart a warm smile. The other thing I always said to Gigi was “you know every move my husband makes..I'm sure you know every time he sneezes throughout the day” A crude way to say that I watched Gigi serve as my husband’s confidant and idol on a daily basis. My mother in law was my husband’s best friend, in a way that was powerful, admirable, and moving. Because of her, he is the ultimate homemaker, because of her, he is the most incredible father, because of her, the hole in his heart is seemingly impossible to fill. 

While I’m standing here before you today because we all are experiencing a grief and heartache so earth-shatteringly unbearable, I am also standing here in full awareness of the fortune of all of us, to be here together, to have built our families into ONE, to have loved and been loved by Gigi. To continue to love Gigi. The concept of ONE is nothing extraordinary, but it’s something my father has instilled in us from a young age, and something that I have come to understand as I’ve expanded my family, through marriage, through child birth. Gigi is my mother, Gigi is my children’s Gamma, Gigi is the foundation from which this family has built traditions, created memories both joyful and painful. She is the soil in which we will continue to plant, nurture, and grow a family that is rooted in loyalty, understanding and humility.

I won’t see Gigi here on this earth again – which is something that I’m grappling with regularly and frankly still feels quite surreal. But she is here, in Meadow’s sassy attitude and beautiful eyes, in the way she enjoys cleaning her barbie dream house more than she does playing with it, in the way she lights up at the sight of any animal, in the way dancing has innately become a true passion of hers. She’s here in Silas’s ear to ear grin, in the way he adores his father, in the way he gets so much pleasure out of making another person happy, in his nurturing demeanor. I see her in my husband as I watch him watching his babies – a visible thought across his face that is half “these kids are nuts” while the other half is “they are my whole world”. I’ve seen that exact look on Gigi’s face many times, as she watched her boys, Dave and Scott. She’s with me every day, helping me remain calm through the insanity of working from home and raising two crazy toddlers, in the way I hear her say “oh Jessi, let them be kids, they’re only young once”. See, we are all one. There is a piece of her in each one of us – she has touched all of you in one way or another – and you can identify the piece of her within you in the way it makes your heart flutter a bit extra when you experience it. In this same way, Gigi has carried a piece of each of us within her..it may feel like a piece of you is missing now that she has left this earth– but it’s there, with her. We are all one. 

I have never been very spiritual. I have not sought out any spirituality during this time of suffering, and of loss. However, it just happened. Gigi left this earth and I immediately felt like she was ok. That she was present when I thought of her, that she knows, that she sees, that she hears. I will never stop talking to her, I will never stop loving her and I will never stop speaking of her – my kids know and adore Gamma, and they always will. We speak of her loudly, both with laughter and tears. And that is the way in which it will remain.

So let us honor our mother, our Gamma, our Gigi by loving one another fiercely. By realizing how precious and fragile life is. By laughing and spreading love in the face of adversity and hate. By preserving in the face of difficulty or doubt. Let’s rise up to be as good to each other as possible. Because that’s all Gigi wanted. For as long as I have known Gigi – which has almost been half of my life- I have known that Gigi’s ultimate happiness was experienced when her family was together. All she wanted was for her family to love one another, to grow and experience together. So, let’s do that, let’s carry her with us as we do, and let’s keep her alive within us – not by hiding from the memories – but rather through the way we celebrate them….

Through the way we proudly, gratefully speak of her, say her name and know that she knew and felt our love. Through the way we recognize and acknowledge the pieces of Gigi that we carry within us. We love you Gigi. We will never not miss you. 

I feel so blessed,that I was able to attend Gigi’s memorial mass.
What a beautiful tribute from her family.
My heart aches, for everyone.
I will treasure the fun, and special memories of our high school years we spent together.
GIGi, you left this earth too soon, however, I am confident that your legacy will live on through your children and grandchildren., you and Steve raised a beautiful, loving family.
May you rest peacefully ,my dear friend.
❤️❤️❤️

I met Gigi when we were sophomores at Suffern High. We were both Bronx girls and connected quickly, becoming close friends. We remained close until our early 20’s, when life took us in different directions. Thanks to Facebook, Gigi and I reconnected a little more than 8 years ago. When we reconnected it was almost as no time had passed. We picked up where we left off and stayed close throughout the rest of her life. We were especially lucky because not only were we friends, but Steve and Dan became friends as well. 

We shared quite a few adventures and travelled together on a few occasions. Our last trip together was only a couple of months before she passed and in spite of being so sick, she said it was one of her best trips because she got to spend so much time with her furry niece, Daisy and nephew, Kyro. She loved them (being the animal lover that she was) and boy, did they love her.

While I’ve never been a big phone person, there wasn’t a day that went by where we weren’t in touch by text. Our last texts were less than 18 hours before she passed.

I loved Gigi and her passing has left a huge hole in my heart. I think of her each and every day and although she will live in my heart forever, I will miss her for the rest of my life. RIP my beautiful friend! ❤️

What more can parents want from their son's bride than a woman who adores him and is with him every step of the way, tends to his needs, bears him beautiful children, and raises them with extreme love to be the terrific men they have become. Gigi fulfilled all of these wishes and more, and we will love and miss her forever.
Stan and Marcy Fine

Gigi and I first met in High School. We were in several business classes together. Then in 1992 we ran into each other dropping off our 3 year old boys to Pre-k. We were inseparable everyday since then. She was more than my best friend, she was family. There wasn’t anything good or bad that we didn’t tell each other. We went through it all together and then we became Grandparents together and we were already making plans on where we would take the grandchildren together when they got a little older. I can’t believe my beautiful friend is gone and we will never get to do that. I’m truly lost without here. I pickup the phone all day long to tell her something. There is such a void in my life without you Gi! I miss you and think about you every single day. Till we meet again. I love you ❤️

I met Gigi when you brought her to my clothing store when I transitioned from working at APA where you were my manager to becoming my great mentor and friend since 2002. Gigi was beautiful, warm and oh so stylish. My heart goes out to you and your family. Although I met her only once, the stories you would share of her and the beautiful family photos around your office always gave me the sense of what a great wife and mother she was. Truly a beautiful woman! My deepest condolences to you and your family.

first let me start by saying how truly saddened my family and I are to have learned about Gigi's passing. she has definitely left her family and friends way to soon. she is truly missed. may she rest in peace and know that she will never be forgotten.

my fondest memories were seeing Gigi for years faithfully doing her power walks no matter the weather. she would walk alone or with her husband or with Dawn. I truly admired that about Gigi. I would see her at the pool always looking fit and stylish. I would think to myself her walks showed on how toned her legs always looked.

she always had very nice things to say about her children, but when her grandbabies were born she was beaming with joy and happiness and would show me pictures after pictures. 

she always was a pleasure to talk to and with. 

I say my prayers almost every night unless I'm too exhausted and fall asleep. I pray for her and her family.