All Around Pennsauken

The staff and board of the Pennsauken Free Public Library are heartbroken to share the news that Stephanie D’Angelico, our beloved colleague of 25 years, has died after a years-long battle with cancer. She bore it all with grace, good humor, and determination.

Over the course of her career at The Pennsauken Free Public Library, Stephanie held a number of roles, making herself indispensable to the smooth running of the library and a treasure to her coworkers. Over the years, she worked as our Head of Reference, Systems Librarian, and Interim Director at least three times.

None of this captures what a delight she was to work with and to befriend. Stephanie knew everything about how the library works and was everyone’s go-to person whenever any of us had a question about some nitty gritty detail, from how to get the staff entrance door to lock if it wasn’t cooperating, to the trick to get paper towels out of the dispenser in one piece. When faced with a dilemma, we can always find a good solution by asking ourselves, “What would Steph do?”

Stephanie was generous, almost to a fault, but you could never tell her no because it brought her so much joy to make someone else’s day better. She quietly added extra money to gifts and donations, and always included everyone in traditions, like treating the entire staff to delicious takeout from Montegrillo’s, especially on days when her favorite of their dishes, seafood bisque soup, was available as a special. She didn’t just treat everyone; she made sure to customize the order to accommodate everyone’s nutritional needs and allergies.

Stephanie noticed things and would act to improve them immediately. She knew before you did that the Kleenex box on your desk was running low and would quietly replace it. She knew by name every patron who walked through our doors, and would check in with our most devoted readers to let them know when a new book by their favorite authors was coming in. During the worst days of the pandemic, she reached out to many of our most vulnerable patrons to make sure they were not dangerously isolated.

Stephanie was the type of colleague you could call any time, day or night, with technology questions. During one of her several stints as Interim Director, she often had to field calls from our security company in the middle of the night when one of our alarms went off for some reason. The scope of her technological expertise made her an excellent and patient teacher to so many of us who found technology upgrades daunting or scary. For decades, “Call Stephanie!” had been our immediate response to internet outages, unintelligible printer error codes, or new software going haywire. 

Stephanie was the essence of public service: competent, kind, and dedicated. Nobody cared as much as Stephanie did, about everything. She was also a lot of fun and was possessed of a zingy wit. She proudly celebrated the successes of her beloved New York Yankees, a gutsy thing to do here deep in Phillies country, and it was a mark of how universally adored she was that no one would dream of hassling her about the posters and memorabilia showcased in her office.

Her combination of professionalism, deep care, and open heart made her the kind of person we all feel incredibly fortunate to have known and loved. We miss her so much.

We love you, Steph. You were one of a kind.

Stephanie’s Obituary

Stephanie A. D’Angelico, of Mt. Laurel, passed away on Nov. 15 at the age of 59.

Stephanie was the beloved wife of Steven Juliano; loving daughter of Dan and Susan D’Angelico; caring sister of Suzanne D’Angelico and Nancy Joe Tennant (Todd); dear sister-in-law of Mark Juliano (Camille), Camille Adolf (Ken) and Peter Juliano (Beth); and cherished aunt of ten nieces and nephews. Stephanie was a long-time librarian at the Pennsauken Library, with a tremendous love of books.

She was an avid sports enthusiast, bird watcher, and enjoyed being near the water. The time she spent with her nieces and nephews brought her the most joy. After receiving her BA as a Russian Language and Political Science double major, she received a Master’s Degree in Library Science from the State University of New York at Albany.

Relatives and friends are invited to her viewing on Sunday Nov. 21, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Bradley Funeral Home, Rt.73 and Evesham Rd., Marlton, NJ.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Burlington County Animal Alliance at www.bcaaofnj.org/donate.