STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Madeline Cretella knew how to make a space beautiful.
“She could walk into a room and move a few things around, and all of a sudden that room looked 100 times better than it did before she had walked in just a few minutes earlier,” said her daughter-in-law, Jeanne Cretella.
Cretella, an artist and a consummate volunteer, died on Dec. 16. She was 96 years old. The cause of death was complications from a fall.
Madeline Cretella.Family Photo
She was born in 1929, the middle child of seven siblings who grew up in South Beach. Her father, Nicholas Mattia, worked as a carpenter and made furniture, and her mother, Florence, managed the household.
In 1949, she married Frank Cretella. The pair went into business together, opening a Dairy Queen franchise in Elizabeth, New Jersey, while living on Lighthouse Hill.
When Dairy Queen changed its recipe, the Cretellas decided they wanted to more on and opened up their own shop.
“They were very instrumental in starting the brand Magic Fountain,” Jeanne Cretella said. “They felt that the product that they were able to offer through Magic Fountain was just a better product. They were committed to serving the best ice cream they could serve. They operated Magic Fountain for almost 50 years.”
Cretella, who had a lifelong interest in art, began her artistic career by making sketches. “She paid attention to the anatomy of the body,” said her daughter, Jeannette DiChiara. “She explored oils and pastels, but her favorite was sculpting.”
In this photo, taken Oct. 20, 1985, Madeline Cretella sculpts a piece titled “Migration.”(Advance/SILive.com | Steve Zaffarano)
Jeanne Cretella added: “Her sculptures told a real story. She was a breast cancer survivor. Her artwork depicted some of the emotions that many people go through when they’re dealing with such a serious illness. A lot of her work depicted the human body, and her artwork could be a little whimsical, but she really loved classical art. Her pieces just screamed of emotion.”
Cretella painted landscapes and portraits, and made jewelry. “She was known for big, beautiful brooches.”
“She would make jewelry molds and have the moles filled with silver or gold,” DiChiara said. “And she was a decorator and a muralist. She used to paint murals for friends and family.”
Jeanne Cretella explained: “Everything she did was self-taught. Because she was such a phenomenal artist, people assumed that she had formal training, and she didn’t.”
Her art was exhibited on Staten Island and in Manhattan, including Borough Hall, the Newhouse Gallery, The Art Network, and Salmagundi Gallery.
“She had such curiosity that if she saw anything that fancied her, she would learn how to do it,” DiChiara said. “There was nothing she didn’t want to have her hands in.”
Cretella served as president of the Staten Island Artist Federation for three years. She volunteered for United Cerebral Palsy organization and AIDS Resource Foundation for Children.
“Whenever she heard of a need in the community, she was always volunteering her help,” Jeanne Cretella said.
She was known for her ability to plan events and decorate spaces.
“She was a great event planner from top to bottom, because she could imagine great, unique ideas for the themes, and then she knew how to carry it through and tie it all together,” DiChiara said.
Jeanne Cretella added: “Madeline would just get to work and design everything from the invitations to the tables and centerpieces,”
“She was all about family,” she recalled. “She was all about creating a home that everyone knew that they were welcome to at any time. There was always room at the table for whoever showed up. She was a gracious host who always made everyone feel like she had spent the entire day setting even the table, and she did it just with so much ease and grace.”
Cretella was known for her holiday celebrations. “She was famous for her Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes,” Jeanne Cretella said. “She loved entertaining, whether it was Thanksgiving celebrations or Christmas Eve or Easter egg hunts that she would do, not only for our children, but for the children in the neighborhood.”
In this 1990 photo, Jeanne Cretella presents a bouquet of flowers to her mother-in-law, Woman of Achievement honoree Madeline Cretella. (Advance/SILive.com | Frank J. Johns)
In 1990, Cretella was honored with the Staten Island Woman of Achievement award. “That was a highlight for my mother-in-law,” Jeanne Cretella said. “She really valued that achievement throughout her life, she spoke about it often.”
For the last 10 years of her life, Cretella resided in Lincroft, New Jersey.
“When she moved to her senior housing, she would regale the residents with stories,” DiChiara said. “She would write articles to inspire them to be more involved in the activities.”
Cretella is survived by her children, Jeannette DiChiara and her husband Thomas, and Frank Cretella and his wife Jeanne; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.