Dina Acerno (Picchioni), 98, formerly of River Edge, New Jersey, peacefully passed away on March 17, 2023, at Sunrise Senior Living in Paramus, New Jersey.
Dina was born on Manhattan’s Lower East Side to Ida and Primo Picchioni on March 22, 1924. She attended Manhattan Trade School and worked in a textile factory. Dina married Carmine Acerno on January 19, 1947. They eventually moved to River Edge and raised three children.
A proud Italian-American, Dina deeply loved her hometown of New York City, “Wheel of Fortune,” the New York Yankees, perfume (Shalimar and Poison were favorites among her extensive collection), flashy jewelry, books, big band music, and jazz, especially Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, and Frank Sinatra. She was famous for serving heaping plates of macaroni and meatballs, and delighted in cooking for her family and friends. She will be lovingly remembered for her feistiness, shrewd bargaining skills, and loud, mischievous laugh.
Dina is preceded in death by her parents; Carmine; and sister Jennie DeStefano (Alfred, also deceased). She is survived by her sister Rose Erickson; daughter Roselle Kalosieh (William), son Robert (Estelle), son Thomas; grandchildren Jeanne and Paul Kalosieh, Danielle Guertin (Matthew), and Eric Acerno (Christina); great-grandchildren Everett and Isla Guertin; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
The family will receive their relatives and friends at the Beaugard-McKnight Funeral Home, 869 Kinderkamack Road, River Edge, NJ, on Monday, March 20, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The funeral mass will be held at St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, 455 Fifth Avenue, River Edge, NJ, on Tuesday, March 21, at 10 a.m. Entombment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa, NJ. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Religious Teachers Filippini at https://filippiniusa.org/