Loretta N Ferrara

Loretta Nepa Ferrara, 71, of Florham Park, passed away peacefully at home on October 19, 2022.

Born in Newark Loretta attended St. Ann’s Grammar School and East  Orange Catholic High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers-Newark majoring in Fine Arts.  As a student exploring the dusty basement of the arts building she found an old kiln, a potter’s wheel and a newfound passion for pottery.   As a talented artist she worked in a variety of media. 

After graduation Loretta joined New Jersey Bell Telephone Co. in 1973 as a pay telephone coin box collector before moving onto business sales. She spent the next 30 years working at Bell Atlantic and Verizon before retiring in 2003. 

Loretta liked to go out dancing with her girlfriends. She was a dedicated student of Taekwondo rising to a black belt level. I’d often joke and tell her “I wouldn’t want to meet you in a dark alley” but she new that I really did.

Acting as her own general contractor for construction of a new home in Wantage Loretta liked to tell the story about a visiting family friend from England who took a shower and flooded her bathroom floor soaking the room below because he didn’t know how to work the shower over here.

Loretta enjoyed travel especially to Italy visiting relatives on her mother Anna’s side of the family in Nereto, a small hilltop village in the province of Abruzza, and her father Egidio’s family in Pescara, a large city on the Adriatic coast. Of course she loved cooking Italian food for her family and friends.

With her camera on trips into New York City Loretta would snap photos of people who most of us would call ‘weirdos’ but her kind nature wouldn’t allow her that. She would position me near her target and pretend to take my picture so as not to embarrass her subject or make them feel uncomfortable. Sometimes she would enter her work in ASMP photo competitions.

Loretta enjoyed meeting people. She could be very funny with her mother’s dry sense of humor. Working part-time at the Apple store in the Short Hills mall she met some interesting customers like Eli Manning, Brendan Byrne and Mr. Pollander - the jelly company guy.

Beloved wife of 17 years to Paul Kantrowitz.  Devoted mother of Lorianna Ferrara.  Loving step-mother of Gabrielle Kantrowitz.  Cherished grandmother of Mason Andrade and Angelo Andrade.  Loving aunt of Steven Nepa and James Nepa.  Loretta was pre-deceased by her brothers Ottavio Nepa and John Nepa. 

Visitation at the Leonardis Memorial Home, Inc., 210 Ridgedale Avenue, Florham Park on Monday from 4-7pm.  Funeral on Tuesday assembling at the funeral home at 8:30am followed by the funeral mass at Holy Family Church in Florham Park at 9:30am.  Entombment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Loretta’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association, see donation box below for details….