Eleanor A. (Francesconi) Bongiorno

Eleanor Ann Bongiorno, 89, of Wallingford, PA, passed away on November 21, 2025. Eleanor was born on October 22, 1936, in East Paterson, NJ, to Carlo and Lucia Francesconi.  She was preceded in death by her devoted husband of 50 years, Salvatore Bongiorno.

She is survived by her children, Mark and Ann Bongiorno, Carol and Bob Cardie, and Lynn and Matt Garbee; her brother and sister-in-law Charles and Sandy Francesconi; her grandchildren Claire, Jack, and Lucy (children of Mark); Sarah, Bobby, Emily, Joe, Mary, Grace, Christopher, Thomas, and Teresa (children of Carol); and Stefan and Julia (children of Lynn). She is also survived by her 11 great grandchildren whom she adored and loved.

Eleanor will be remembered for her unwavering commitment to family. She never missed a swim meet, class play, or piano recital. She picked up her children for a hot lunch every day and always had dinner ready in the evening. She and Sal were dedicated to building a family rooted in faith, security, and happiness. Eleanor never forgot a birthday or anniversary, and every family member could count on a phone call from Grandma on their special day. 

She was very proud of her Italian heritage and the traditions she grew up with, especially the importance of family, Italian cooking, hard work, and spending time together. Independent and determined, she put herself through secretarial school, where she ultimately met Salvatore while working at Chemico Engineering. Later in life, committed to furthering her education, Eleanor earned her associate’s degree from Bergen Community College and enjoyed working for many years as a medical office assistant.

A master of the written word, Eleanor had an extraordinary command of the English language. Even in her final week, she could recite entire stanzas of Shakespeare and Poe from memory, reflecting her sharp mind and lifelong love of literature.

Eleanor was an avid NY Mets and Villanova basketball fan and loved having her family around to watch the games. During her final 13 years she lived in Pennsylvania at Plush Mills. Despite her physical limitations, she always attended local birthdays, Sacraments, holidays and other gatherings, even visiting her first great-grandchild at the hospital when he was born. She was also embraced and loved by the Plush Mills community. 

Eleanor and Sal were dedicated parishioners at Sacred Heart Church in Haworth, NJ and loved their parish community. After moving to PA, despite her progressing MS, Eleanor devoutly attended weekly Mass at St Francis of Assisi Parish and the weekly Mass at Plush Mills. 

The Visitation and Funeral Mass will be held at 9am and 10am respectively on December 15th at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Springfield, PA, with a burial following at 1:30pm at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, NJ.   Please make any donations in Eleanor’s name to Annie’s Home (annieshome.org) or to a charity of your choice.