Licia Matteoni

Licia Matteoni of West Babylon, NY, died on October 21, 2025, at the age of 97. Licia was predeceased by her husband Hugo Matteoni, her son Dennis Matteoni, and her grandson Anthony Matteoni. She is survived by her daughters; Donna (Philip) Nerges, Lisa (Markus) Anto, and her daughter-in-law Angela Matteoni. Grandchildren; Jeffrey (Rudy) Clarke, Melody (William) Law, Lauren Clarke, Joseph (Celine) Matteoni, Michael (Shino) Matteoni, Nicholas (Alexandra) Anto, Gregory Anto, and Kyle Matteoni. Great-Grandchildren; Avery Matteoni, Carmella Matteoni, and Josephine Matteoni. She is also survived by friends who were family too.

Licia was born on December 17, 1927 in Nerezine, Croatia, a small fishing village on the Adriatic Sea, then part of Italy. She would always say that she was geographically Croatian, but culturally Italian. She grew up in a small stone house very close to the water. She spent her time singing in the church, swimming in the sea, taking care of her family home, sewing with her mother, and traveling to the city with her aunt.

After overcoming many obstacles, Licia emigrated from Nerezine to America in 1948 after World War II ended. She lived in Woodside with her parents, John and Marianna Lupich, and worked as a seamstress in New York City. In Woodside, she was reunited with Hugo Matteoni, a fellow immigrant from Neresine, and they were married on January 7,1951. They resided in Jackson Heights and Miller Place, and celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2001.

Licia was a dedicated homemaker, an avid gardener, who tended to her garden and lawn herself until she moved to West Babylon in 2010. She loved filling her balcony with flowers. She was fiercely independent, resourceful, and lived on her own for 15 years. Licia loved cooking, singing, listening to music, dancing, watching the Italian channel, including the Italian Mass, doing word search, sewing, knitting, telling stories, and most of all, she was very family-centered. She loved babies, and was a loving and doting grandmother. Licia filled our lives with countless memories, was loved by all, and will be greatly missed.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Rose of Lima RC Church, located at 2 Bayview Avenue, Massapequa, NY 11758, on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 10:15am.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital @ stjude.org. Licia donated monthly for many years.