A gifted educator, devoted public servant and loving matriarch, Elizabeth DeGiulio of Sea Bright passed away peacefully at her home at the age of 82. Born in New York City to John and Elizabeth Parise, Elizabeth and her identical twin sister Joan grew up in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn with their younger sister Maryann. Elizabeth’s mother, a no-nonsense nurse, was the only woman in the neighborhood who knew how to drive a car, and her daughter lived her life with that same can-do spirit.
Following graduation from St. Brendan’s High School, Elizabeth began her studies at Hunter College in New York where she met fellow student Allan DeGiulio, her beloved partner in life for 61 years until his passing in 2022.
During the nomadic journey necessitated by Allan’s work as a college administrator and later as a community advocate, Elizabeth earned a B.A. from Hunter College, a Master of Arts in ESL and linguistics from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a Master of Education in educational leadership and administration from the University of Nevada-Reno. She also completed all the course work toward a Ph.D.
Elizabeth would pursue a teaching career that lasted over 25 years. She was a teacher by profession and in her heart. She possessed an insatiable intellectual curiosity; mention any subject, and chances were she had read a book or article about it. Her enthusiasm for shared knowledge was contagious and unflagging. Elizabeth was an empathetic and passionate advocate for her English as a Second Language students, many of whom were recent immigrants navigating a new language and culture.
Elizabeth and her family moved to Sea Bright more than 30 years ago and she became a champion for her small Jersey Shore town. She was determined to see it survive after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, volunteering her time and effort to the rehabilitation of local homes and businesses, and the preservation of the town’s protective dune grasses.
Elizabeth served on the Sea Bright Planning Board and was a member of a local garden club and the town library committee. She was the current vice president of the Shore Regional Board of Education.
Brilliant, kind, compassionate, loving, witty, humble and joyful are just some of the words that could be used to describe Elizabeth, but she was defined by her unwavering love for her family. She genuinely cared for all aspects of the lives of her five children: David DeGiulio, Lisa Barthel (Steven), Christopher DeGiulio, Merissa Buczny (Michael), and Gianna DeGiulio (Tara). She was the most ardent cheerleader for her 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Elizabeth was everyone’s biggest fan, even perfect strangers. Her loss will be deeply felt by everyone who was blessed enough to know her.
A memorial Mass for Elizabeth will be held at 11 a.m. May 31 at the Church of the Nativity, 180 Ridge Rd, Fair Haven. Thompson Memorial Home of Red Bank has been entrusted with the arrangements. Please share any memories and photos of Elizabeth to memoriesofEJPD@gmail.com.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Elizabeth DeGiulio Scholarship Fund, which has been established in her name for a Shore Regional High School ESL student, at Elizabeth DeGiulio Scholarship Fund, c/o Shore Regional High School District, 132 Memorial Park Highway, West Long Branch, NJ 07764.
The article originally appeared in the May 30 – June 5, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
