Obituary of Ziara "Zi" Neapolitan

Ziara "Zi" Neapolitan, 97, wife of the late Louis Neapolitan, passed away on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at Haven Hospice in Edison. Zi was born in Gloversville, NY, to the late Carlo and Rose (Valardi) Ambrosino. She grew up in the town, and met her future husband, Louis Neapolitan, there. As a young woman, she worked in the town's glove industry, sewing for Fownes Gloves. After Zi and Lou married, they eventually settled in South Plainfield some fifty-six years ago with their daughters, Nancy and Kathy. Their home was Zi's pride, and it quickly became a gathering place for friends. Many an evening was spent there playing cards and enjoying their friends' company. Along with being an outstanding hostess, Zi was known for her sense of humor, love of the casinos and the slot machines, amazing cooking skills, fierce devotion to her family and her ability to make her voice heard, sometimes to amusing effect. She even managed to get an entire Italian bank full of customer to wait on an orderly line - a feat few have ever accomplished. Predeceased by her husband Louis and siblings Nancy, James and Patricia, Zi leaves behind her loving and devoted family: daughters Nancy Kazimir and Kathy Olpinski, along with husband Robert S. Olpinski, all of South Plainfield; three grandchildren, Gina Kazimir of Maryland, Matthew R. Olpinski of New York and Robert L. Olpinski of New Jersey; and her sister, Caroline Lavery, of Michigan. Visitation will be held in the McCriskin-Gustafson Home for Funerals, 2425 Plainfield Avenue, South Plainfield, NJ 07080 on Friday, November 9, 2018 from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm. A service celebrating Zi's life will be held at 3:00 pm. Guests are invited to join the family for a repast after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family asks friends to consider a donation to the charity of their choice in Zi's honor.