Fannie D'Elia, famed 'Macaroni Lady,' turning 105
ONE FOR THE AGES

Saturday, February 09, 2008
By LAUREN BULL
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Don't bother asking Fannie D'Elia what the secret is. The longtime Jersey City resident celebrates her 105th birthday tomorrow and still doesn't have the answer.

"That's what they all want to know," D'Elia said. "Truthfully, I have none. I ate at any time, and I ate anything."

In fact, food is what made D'Elia a local celebrity.

"The Macaroni Lady," as she was known, ran the Italian delicatessen La Rinascente on Avenue C in Bayonne for 50 years. Before closing the store in the 1990s, D'Elia made 1,000 meatballs a week and sold 80 different kinds of macaroni.

"I really enjoyed my work," said D'Elia. "I thought nothing of working in the store all day."

The Jersey Journal previously profiled D'Elia in 2003 when she celebrated her 100th birthday at Horace Mann School in Bayonne, where she was still working as a lunchroom aide.

"I've had a nice life, a full life," she said.

Though her days are now mainly spent crocheting, D'Elia's son George, 85, remains in awe of his mother's stamina.

"She's a whirlwind, you know," George gushed.