Remembering Marlboro Locals Lost To COVID-19: Margaret Stella

MARLBORO, NJ - The United States recently surpassed yet another devastating milestone: to date, more than 300,000 Americans have lost their lives to the coronavirus.

It's a remarkable number. But it's impossible to convey the full extent of the losses using only numbers.

Every death meant more than a statistic. A child lost his mother; a mother lost her child. A community lost a teacher, a mentor, a student, a coach. The front line lost a nurse, a doctor, an EMT, a hospital orderly.

We all lost some of our heroes.

Morganville resident Gloria Scarpati remembers her mother, Margaret M. Stella, one of more than 16,000 individuals in New Jersey lost this year to the virus.

Margaret had Multiple Sclerosis and was wheelchair-bound living in an assisted living facility, Scarpati recalled to Patch. Life had not always been kind to the New Jersey woman: Stella was badly injured in a fire several years ago and suffered life-threatening burns as a result.

“Despite all her hardships, at the age of 65, she finally started to enjoy life,” Scarpati said. “She participated in every activity offered in her facility, made a lot of friends and was thrilled that she could see her grandkids so often.”

Unfortunately, upon moving into the Morganville facility, Stella fell ill with COVID-19 shortly after lockdown began.

“She was scared and confused because as serious as her situation was she didn’t physically feel that sick,” Scarpati said. “She spent about a week and a half in the hospital before we got that dreaded phone call that she died... alone.”

Stella passed away on April 14, 2020. She was unable to be visited by friends or family due to strict restrictions implemented statewide to limit the spread of the virus.

“My sister and I couldn’t be there to hold her hand. She, like so many others, had to take [her] last breath alone,” Scarpati continued. “Losing her in the way that we did has left an unmeasurable hole in our hearts. She was loved, is loved and will always be loved. God bless all the covid victims, their loving families and all the healthcare workers.”

Stella is predeceased by husband Nicholas. She is survived by daughters Gloria Scarpati of Marlboro and Andrea Stella of Keyport, stepchildren Joseph Stella of South Carolina and Marion Vignola of Brooklyn, sister Catherine of Brooklyn, grandchildren Juliet, Joseph and Giordana and step-grandchildren Diana, Anthony, Joseph and Sophia.

Here at Patch, we know your friends, families and loved ones are more than numbers. As we mark 300,000 deaths at the hands of the coronavirus, we want to help you remember them. We want others to know them. We want to help you share their stories.

Do you have a story to share? Using the form below, we invite you to tell us about the loved ones you've lost — who they were, what they enjoyed, and what difference they made in your life. You can also submit a photo. All tributes will be compiled in a searchable virtual memorial.