Lucille Olcheski, (nee Collalto), of Gainesville, FL, formerly of East Hanover, NJ, passed away peacefully on June 30, 2020. Lucille was a devoted wife, mother, aunt and sibling, who selflessly put others first. Her greatest joy was knowing that everyone else was happy and well-cared for – her own happiness was inextricably bound to that of others. She enjoyed seeing her children flourish, and was always there for friends and family. Her sense of responsibility was forged during hard times; the lessons learned never left her, and she shared her wisdom generously.
She left a successful career as a manager at RCA to start her family, and eventually moved to Florida for a new adventure and new career at the University of Florida, department of Library Science. Upon retirement, she spent many happy days taking care of a posse of rescue dogs, traveling and spending time with family.
She is survived by her daughters, Karen Streiff and Tina (Jeff) Allen, her sister Josephine Collalto, a cadre of nieces and nephews, and her dear friend Frances White and her late husband, George. She is recently deceased by her husband of nearly sixty years, Raymond. She is predeceased by her parents, Frank and Matilda, her stepmother, Rita, brothers Patrick and Frank, and her sisters, Frances DeJesso, Constance Bessmer, Carmelina Bellina, and Antoinette Black, and her constant companion, Floppy the cocker spaniel.
A funeral mass will be celebrated for Lucille and Raymond together on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, 10:30am at St. Rose of Lima Church in East Hanover followed by the interment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover.
Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, www.stjude.org or North Star Animal Rescue, Inc. PO Box 284, Boonton, NJ 07005 www.northstarpets.org.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Lucille Olcheski, please visit our floral store.