Phyllis Mignogna, who made a donation to the House of Charity every year since it was established more than 50 years ago, died Feb. 22 at the age of 107.
“Mignogna is not a rich woman. She worked as a secretary, and she’s been retired for 30 of the 50 years she has made donations to the House of Charity, which provides for health, social and welfare services in southern New Jersey,” the Catholic Star Herald wrote about her in a 2014 feature.
A member of St. Peter Parish, Merchantville, she was one of nine children to Italian immigrants Lucia and Salvatore Mignogna. They helped her see the value of generousity. Ms. Mignogna remembered her father going down into the basement, coming back up with a bucket-full of coal and giving it to a neighborhood widow so she would have needed heat for her family.
After attending Vineland High School and Glassboro Normal School (now Rowan University), Ms. Mignogna spent many years as secretary to different attorneys, and helped with the legal paperwork that began the construction of Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken, and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden.
She retired at the age of 75.
She is survived by nieces and nephew; Carmel M. Naples, with whom she resided, Rita D. Vogt of Mt. Laurel, Anna Lucia (Garry) Dawson of Philadelphia, Rosemary Mignogna of Mt. Laurel, Gloria Jean (Robert) Vasta of Woodbridge, Va., and Michael S. Mignogna of Medford. Cousin of Sister Lena Mignogna of the Fillipini Order, Morristown and many great and great, great nieces and nephews.
Visitation and funeral Feb. 26 at the Falco/Caruso & Leonard Pennsauken Funeral Home, 6600 N. Browning Rd. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. at the Church of Saint Peter, 43 W. Maple Ave. in Merchantville. Entombment will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Cherry Hill.