Clara Louise Mangerpan

Mrs. Clara Louise Mangerpan, resident of Santa Clara and recently St. George, Utah, went home to Heaven on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at the age of 91.
Clara was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on September 3, 1930, to Joseph and Louise (nee DiLorenzo) DeMasi, the fourth of five children. In, 1943, the family moved to Jersey City, New Jersey. She graduated from James J. Ferris High School (Jersey City) in 1948. During the early winter of 1946 she unexpectedly met the love of her life, Salvatore Robert Mangerpan. They were inseparable since.
After graduation she attended The Compotometer School in Jersey City, graduating November 1948. She worked as a comptometer operator for Western Electric and Standard Brands, and Salvatore was first a draftsman then an engineer for Western Electric and later AT&T Long Lines.
Salvatore and Clara were married August 19, 1950, at St. Lucy’s Church (Jersey City, NJ), and started their married life in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Salvatore was drafted during the Korean War and served from 1952-1954 in Berlin, Germany. During this time, Clara continued to work. They corresponded endlessly with Salvatore including pictures of the many beautiful places he visited while on leave in Germany.
After Salvatore was honorably discharged in 1954, they were together again and never were apart. In November 1956 they welcomed their only child, Michele Claire. Clara was the epitome of a stay-at-home wife and mother. Since Michele was a young girl and well into her career, Clara handmade beautiful clothes for her which were the envy of any fashion designer. Michele fondly remembers her father coming home every night from work to a delicious meal prepared by Clara and sitting down for dinner as a loving family.
In 1973, they bought their first home in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. In 1983, Salvatore and Clara sold their Saddle Brook home, her mother Louise (now widowed) sold her home in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, and they purchased their next home in Randolph, New Jersey. In April 2015, Salvatore and Clara purchased a home in Santa Clara, Utah, to be near their daughter Michele and her husband Ed. In January 2022, Salvatore and Clara moved in with Michele and Ed.
Clara showed her love by cooking and baking and keeping a meticulous home. Their family and friends enjoyed many excellent meals and making memories around their bountiful table. She was even known to bring meals or desserts to doctor’s appointments, potlucks, or even to Michele’s work for her coworkers to enjoy. She introduced many Utahns to real Italian cooking. No one ever left their warm home hungry.
Anyone who met her always loved her instantly. Aside from a fine meal, she had a loving, outgoing and genuine personality, “adopting” as many as she could throughout her life, and was always good for conversation, reminiscing and laughs. In Randolph, she would entertain while playing the keyboard where everyone joined in song.
Salvatore and Clara celebrated 71 loving years of marriage in 2021. They were the exemplary married couple, going through life’s ups and downs, as life continued. They were an inspiration to all who met them. Theirs was a fairytale love story.
Clara was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Louise DeMasi, her sister Anna DiMaio Beach and her brothers Domenick and Frank, and brother-in-law Peter John Norcia, Sr. She is survived by her devoted and loving husband Salvatore, their loved daughter Michele and son-in-law Edward Lovell DeBerry, Jr. and her grand-dog Petunia with whom she lived, her sister Mary Quinn of Pennsylvania, brother-in-law Louis Mangerpan (Barbara) of New Jersey and sister-in-law Patricia Norcia (Peter John Sr. deceased) of New Jersey, many nieces and nephews, and a plethora of friends across the country.
Services will be determined at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests your donation in Clara’s memory to a charity of your choice.
Arrangements are made under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, St. George, Utah.
Friends and family are invited to sign Clara Mangerpan’s online guest book at www.spilsburymortuary.com .
If you knew her, you know what unconditional love is.