Obituary of Norma Mellado

Norma Mellado, 85, of Monroe Township, passed away on Wednesday, January 23, 2013, at the Residence at Forsgate Assisted Living, Monroe Township. Born in Brooklyn, she resided in Freehold before moving to Monroe Township a year ago. Norma was a salesperson for Steinbach's in Manalapan for over 20 years. After retiring in 1996, she became a volunteer for the American Red Cross Blood Center , Shrewsbury. She married Tony DeFino in 1950 and had four children, Valerie, Nicholas, Aggie and Janice. When Tony passed in 1968, she raised her four children on her own. In 1979, she married Antonio Mellado and became a step-mother to Anamarie Forsythe and enjoyed her new extended family. Norma loved life and had a smile that went a long way. She was kind-hearted and a lover of music, dancing, reading novels, cross-stitching, and was always available for a trip to the casinos. She had a talent for wonderful home cooked meals and passed many of these receipes to other family members. The last year of her life at Forsgate was her grand finale and she loved and cherished her home there and all that they offered her. She was predeceased by her first husband, Anthony DeFino in 1968 and her second husband, Antonio Mellado in 1989; and her seven siblings. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Nicholas and Mary Lou DeFino of Milwaukee, WI; her three daughters and sons-in-law, Valerie and Joseph Shannon of Morganville, Agnes and David Toth of Canton, NY and Janice DeFino and William Jost of Edinburgh, NY; her seven loving grandchildren whom she enjoyed, Jason, Craig, Lacey, Mia, Stephen, Rosalie and Louis; and two great grandchildren. The family will receive friends on Sunday, Jan. 27th, from 1 to 5 PM at the Freeman Manalapan-Marlboro Funeral Home, 344 Route 9 North, Manalapan. A funeral service will be held on Monday, Jan. 28th, at 10:30 AM, at the funeral home. Interment will follow at St. Gertrude Cemetery, Colonia. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Hospice Care Alternatives or American Cancer Society. Please visit Norma's website at www.freemanfuneralhomes.com where you may access directions, leave a condolence or make a donation.