Obituary of Maria Palmina Adriana Trasatti Castro

?Maria Palmina Adriana Trasatti Castro, age 88, died on September 24, 2023 at her daughter's home in Mullica Hill, NJ. Born and raised in Santiago, Chile, Maria came to the United States in 1970. Maria was predeceased by her husband Hector Araya Tello. She is survived by her daughter Maria (Victor) Rosado, son Amadeo Trasatti (Kathleen Harding), grandchildren James, Victoria, Prescott, Tristan, Petra, Lottie and Keith. Our beloved mom and grandmother was named Maria Palmina Adriana Trasatti Castro. She was called affectionately mami, mom, grandma, and Maruja her nick name. Maruja was born on May 26, 1935, in Santiago, Chile in the commune of Ñuñoa of the Northeastern section of Santiago, where she attended Catholic schools from K-12. Her parents were Amadeo Trasatti Giuliani and Delfina Castro Romero, and her brother was Humberto Amadeo Trasatti. Maruja's parents were store owners and she worked throughout most of her young adult life in their stores. Amadeo was a carpenter who owned his own furniture store and Delfina owned a general store and a restaurant. Maruja derived most of her culinary expertise from her mother who was a superb cook. She also worked for many years at the Chilean telephone company. In Chile, Maruja lived in the capital as well as the surrounding countryside where she enjoyed the beauty of the Andes and the nearby Pacific Ocean, frequently visiting the beaches of Algarrobo, Reñaca, and Viña del Mar. In 1955, Maruja met Hector Araya Tello at her mother's restaurant. Hector, originally from Antofagasta and Ovalle, had just finished with his tour in the Chilean Airforce and he stayed in Santiago working first as an aircraft mechanic and then at the Chilean Telephone Company. Soon after in 1956 Maruja and Hector were married. In 1958 and 1962 their daughter Maria and son Amadeo were born. Our family was blessed to have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2006 and many friends attended-we are very grateful for this memory. In 1970 Maruja and Hector made the difficult decision to leave Chile to come to New Jersey seeking better opportunities in employment. They came with their children to Paterson where Hector worked at Continental Can Company and Maruja worked at Arrow Fasteners. In 1977, the family moved to New Brunswick so that their daughter could attend Rutgers University. Hector started to work at the Atlantic City Casinos as a limousine driver until 1992. Maruja started working at Revlon in Edison as a materials controller until her retirement in 1998. That year, Maruja and Hector moved to Ventnor where they bought a townhome. With family they enjoyed for many years the beaches, Atlantic City, and surroundings. Hector and Maruja loved the boardwalk and particularly enjoyed frequent walks there and in Ventnor with their little Maltese dog called "Booboo". For several years in the 2000s, Maruja also worked part time at Boscov's Dept. Store in Egg Harbor Township. This would become her favorite department store. Maruja enjoyed gardening and visiting her neighbor friends. She was a cinephile and particularly enjoyed the great American musicals. She enjoyed classical music and opera, and even rock and roll, with her favorite singer being Billy Idol. She loved to cook and was "chef extraordinaire"- her Italian and Chilean dishes, spaghettis, raviolis, sopaipillas, empanadas, zucchini pie, and shrimp salads were superb. Her desserts, like flan and "leche Nevada", were beyond delicious. Because of her Italian heritage, in addition to Spanish and English, Maruja spoke fluent Italian-she was trilingual. She also did much travel- she visited Disney World, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Baton Rouge, SanDiego, Toronto, New York City, Gettysburg, Luray, and Washington DC. She returned to Chile in 2004 and visited La Serena for which she had many fond memories. In Italy, 2014, she visited Rome, Pompeii and Fermo where her father was born. However, her favorite place to visit was Puerto Rico- she absolutely loved the people, the food, and the beaches. Maruja's hobbies were to read the TV Guide, do puzzles, and sewing. She enjoyed nature documentaries- she was a big supporter of environmental causes. Maruja always talked about the many animals she had learned about. Her favorites were birds and butterflies, and she would spend hours watching these in her daughters' backyard. She loved all her pets- through life she cared lovingly for many birds, cats, and dogs. However, her absolute passion was her family. She cherished the frequent family get-togethers and celebrations of birthdays, 18th of Septembers, 4th of Julys, Thanksgivings, Mother's and Father's, Days, and Christmases. In 2010 Hector passed away and Maruja continued to live in Ventnor until 2016. That year she came to live with her daughter Maria, son-in-law Victor, and grandchildren James and Victoria in Mullica Hill until her passing on Sept. 24. Through the years she lived in Mullica Hill, Victor was her devoted companion, taking care of her daily needs. Through the 2010s-2020s, she also visited and stayed with her son Amadeo and daughter-in-law katy in Palmerton Pennsylvania, where she enjoyed her five grandchildren and many outings through the valleys, lakes, and Jim Thorpe. In the last few years, her family had the blessing of having Maruja attend Victoria's high school graduation and James's doctoral graduation- she was very proud of all her grandchildren's achievements. Maruja was a sweet, sweet soul. Everyone described her as sweet. She was profoundly loved. She was beautiful inside and out. She was elegant- she had incredible great taste in clothing and jewelry. She loved and was devoted to her family and God. She was industrious, hard-working, and endeared herself with all the people she met. Maruja always had good words for everyone. She was helpful and kind, she was funny and had an amazing sense of humor. We are going to miss you terribly, Maruja, but we will keep your spirit alive in all the memories we made together and all the good things you taught us, and you certainly taught us well- you were a devoted and loving wife, mother, and grandmother. Most of all, we will carry your love and memory with us forever. Rest in peace sweet Maruja in God's hands. Funeral Services will be private at the convenience of the family.