JOSEPHINE FERRANTE ENDNER – Obituary

– – Creative, entrepreneurial, and very much loved, Josephine Ann Ferrante Endner passed away on Thursday, February 28th, 2019.

Joanne, as she was known to all except her family (who called her Big Gram), was born in Philadelphia on October 19, 1921, the second of five children, to Mary and Frank Ferrante. She grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, where she met Sam Nittoli. They married when she was 20 years old, a few months before America entered World War II.

Since Youngstown was a steel town it’s no surprise that while the men were away fighting, Joanne worked at a steel mill- she called herself a real-life Rosie the Riveter. After the war ended, Frank Ferrante died and the Nittoli family moved to Pennsauken, New Jersey, to live with Mary. In those post-war years, Joanne gave birth to two daughters, Pauline and Marie. Soon after Marie was born Joanne and Sam split up, and Joanne’s entrepreneurial spirit began to emerge.

In the 1950s Joanne went back to school to study fashion design. At first, she designed and sewed petticoats from home, selling them to department stores. She set up what was essentially a small factory in the house, with several sewing machines, a separate room for cutting, and big boxes of finished goods in the living room. Eventually, Joanne opened a shop she called Paula Marie’s, where she sold her own children’s clothing designs. Once her daughters were grown Joanne left for New York City, where she had a successful career designing dress for major children’s clothing companies.

By the mid-1970s Joanne had moved back to New Jersey, where she remained for the rest of her life. There she met and married Walter Endner, her husband until his death in 2006.

Throughout her life, Joanne continued to create and sell her own designs. At one point she had a business selling handmade doll clothes, and right up until her passing Joanne was crafting costume jewelry and hair bows. Her creativity showed in her cooking, too- Joanne found baking relaxing, and would respond to compliments with, “It’s the easiest recipe in the world!”

Joanne is survived by her daughters, Pauline Villa (Robert) and Marie Martorano (Steve); four grandchildren, Paul Altobelli (Lisa), Stephen Altobello (Debbie), Leah Hatton (Ross), and Nicholas Martorano (Samantha); and six great-grandchildren, Rachel, Michael, Joseph, Harry, Miles, and Stella. Also surviving is her older sister, Angeline Lorren.

In addition to her family, Joanne had a very devoted caretaker, Lisa Orenberg, who was with her when she passed.