STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Anita Fabiano, a devoted family woman and longtime Staten Island resident whose life was defined by generosity, died on Dec. 30, 2025. She was 77. <\/p>\n
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Anita grew up surrounded by extended family, living close to her grandparents, many aunts, uncles and cousins. She shared her childhood with her built-in best friends: her identical twin sister Vita and her younger sister, Lisa.<\/p>\n
After graduating from New Utrecht High School, Anita entered the workforce, beginning a career spanning more than 25 years. Starting in 1967, she worked as an administrative and legal assistant to senior-level executives and law partners, earning a reputation for staying calm under pressure, sharp organizational skills and a warm sense of humor. <\/p>\n
Colleagues and friends alike often remembered her reliability and kindness, whether in the office or even on the bus ride into Manhattan. <\/p>\n
Anita\u2019s early retirement came in 2008 when she was 60, following a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s \u2014 a development that was deeply painful and left a noticeable void among those with whom she worked. Within six months of the diagnosis, she stopped working, and her husband, Joseph Fabiano, took early retirement to care for her.<\/p>\n
Marriage and family life<\/p>\n
In October 1969, Anita married her high school sweetheart, Joseph, and they settled in the Midland Beach-Dongan Hills area of Staten Island. Together, they raised their two daughters, Lara and Stefanie, until Joseph\u2019s passing in May 2020.<\/p>\n
When her children were young, Anita embraced motherhood with the same dedication she brought to every aspect of her life. She filled her daughters\u2019 childhoods with trips to the public library, an appreciation for reading, music, art and nature and simple treats like egg creams. She also led by example, instilling in them compassion, service and respect for people of all backgrounds and beliefs.<\/p>\n
That same warmth and generosity carried into the way she and Joseph celebrated life. Known for their love of laughter and togetherness, the couple delighted in bringing people together \u2014 from coordinated costumes at Halloween dances to elaborate family gatherings. <\/p>\n
One especially memorable moment came when Anita surprised Joseph with a personalized billboard on Hylan Boulevard for his 40th birthday, a gesture that perfectly reflected her creativity and joyful spirit, according to her obituary<\/a>. <\/p>\n As the years passed, Anita found new purpose and happiness in watching her family grow. Becoming a grandmother brought profound joy, made even more special when her own mother became a great-grandmother. That joy only multiplied with the arrival of five more grandchildren, whom she lovingly referred to as her \u201csweet peas.\u201d<\/p>\n She delighted in holding them, telling imaginative stories, making up songs and giving them affectionate nicknames. Whether getting dressed up for pretend play, sitting on the bathroom floor so the exhaust fan could lull a baby to sleep or cheering them on at school milestones, she made each moment count. Despite the physical and emotional challenges of her illness, she traveled when she could to visit grandchildren in Virginia and treasured everyday moments with those closer to home.<\/p>\n Faith and service <\/p>\n Faith was another cornerstone of Anita\u2019s life. She and her husband were active members of St. Margaret Mary Church, Midland Beach, where she served as a eucharistic minister and worked as a religious education coordinator and teacher. Joseph sang in the choir and was active in the Men\u2019s Club. <\/p>\n Anita\u2019s commitment to service extended well beyond the church doors. As a Meals on Wheels volunteer, she delivered food to homebound residents, often staying to talk and offer companionship. On occasion, she brought her daughters along, giving them a firsthand lesson in empathy, generosity and a behind-the-scenes look at the Meals on Wheels<\/a> prep kitchen.<\/p>\n \u201cAnita\u2019s family and friends have missed the fullness of her for a long time already, and they will miss her even more now that she is truly gone. They will remember how she lived and loved, and they will strive to do the same,\u201d stated her obituary<\/a>. <\/p>\n She is survived by her daughters, Lara and Stefanie Fabiano; son-in-law, Brian Viskupic; grandchildren Olivia, Luke, Ryan and Natalie Viskupic, and Brendan and Genevieve Hanratty; and sisters Vita (John) Paino and Lisa (Joe) Parascando. She is also survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews, extended family members and friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Anita Fabiano, a devoted family woman and longtime Staten Island resident whose life was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":90347,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-90346","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-staten-island","12":"tag-staten-island-headlines","13":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}