Obituary of Nan Florence Paterniti

Nan Florence Paterniti passed away at her home on April 26, 2024. She was 92 years old.

Born in Perth Amboy, NJ, to parents Alfred D and Marion (Blanchard) Antonio, Nan attended and graduated from Perth Amboy High School and Georgian Court College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. She moved to the Somerset Hills area in 1957 and lived in Bernardsville and Peapack, before settling in Tewksbury 30 years ago.

After graduation from college Nan taught elementary school in Brick. She then married the love of her life Carmen Paterniti. Together they raised four children, lived in several magnificent homes and traveled the world.

Nan was an avid and very skilled tennis player who competed in amateur tournaments in both New Jersey and Florida. She won championships in both states, winning her last match at the age of 82, beating women half her age in competitions. She was also an incredible designer, having taken and aced all of her classes at the New School of Design in New York City. Her eye for interior and landscape design was incredible, and she enhanced both her home and lawn like the pro decorator and gardener that she was.  Nan volunteered her time for over 40 years with the ARC, a nonprofit organization she believed in strongly. She also was a longtime supporter of Handicapper Riders and the Italian American Education Scholarship program.

Nan is survived by her loving husband of 70 years, Carmen S. Paterniti, sons Robert (Mary Ann) Paterniti and William Paterniti, daughter Susan Yeats, grandchildren Marta and Arlo Paterniti and Samantha (Michael) Ushak, and great granddaughter Freya. She is predeceased by her son, John Paterniti, and her brother, John Antonio. 

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 1, from 4-8 PM at the Bailey Funeral Home, 176 Main Street, Peapack NJ. A Funeral Mass will take place on Thursday, May 2, at 10:30 AM at St. Brigid Church, 129 Main Street, Peapack NJ. Burial will follow at New Germantown Cemetery, Oldwick, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations in Nan’s memory may be made to the ARC of Hunterdon County.