Elsie Lombardi, 94, passed away suddenly and peacefully in the early morning of March 11, 2024, surrounded by her family. Although she had various age-related health issues in the past year, she was a fighter and was determined to live and enjoy her life every day. Elsie was born and raised in the Bronx. She graduated from Cathedral High School and attended Hunter College, both in New York City. Elsie was married in 1950 to her beloved husband Michael Lombardi until his passing in 2015. They lived in New Jersey for many years before retiring to Las Vegas in 1986. They returned to New Jersey in 2014 to be closer to family.

Elsie loved to read and learn new things, kept current on the news, and loved articles in Smithsonian Magazine. She never forgot a birthday or momentous occasion for anyone in the family. She had many talents and loved to sew, knit, crochet, and do needlework, continuing these throughout her life. Elsie had meticulous command of the household records and finances and worked outside of the home as a bookkeeper. She was a long-time leader in the Las Vegas senior community, arranging travel and activities for the Senior Tripsters. She had a passionate love for plants and gardening and was already planning her garden for this spring.   Having had dogs throughout her adult life, she was passionate about animal welfare and currently owned a rescue dog which she and her husband saved from a shelter.

Until her last moments, Elsie always remembered all the personal details of the lives of those she loved. She lived her life fully dedicated to her family as well as her friends, whether she met them decades ago or whether they became part of her life in later years. She got to know many people throughout her long life and made friends wherever she went because she truly loved and cared about people. She is survived by her three children, Nicholas Lombardi and his wife Mary Jane, Michele Caputi and her husband Pat, and Diane Mengersen and her husband John, as well as her seven grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren.  Stephanie Stoudt and her husband Timothy (Hannah, Connor), Elizabeth Schiano and her husband Thomas (Eloise), Amanda Fabiano and her husband Marc (Carla, Luke), Lauren Dandusevski and her husband Robert (Christian, Ryan), Jaclyn Pineda and her husband Lazaro (Leo, Laelynn), Vincent Caputi (Mackenzie, Reese), and Gina Louko and her husband Daniel. We will all miss her terribly.

A visitation will be held at Holmdel Funeral Home on Sunday, March 17th from 2 to 5 pm, and a Funeral Mass will be held at St. Leo the Great RC Church in Lincroft, NJ on Monday, March 18th at 10:15 am.  She will be interred with her beloved husband at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery in NJ immediately after. In lieu of sending flowers, the family would appreciate a donation in her name to one of her favorite charities, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, or Monmouth County SPCA.