Joanna (Jay) Villani Colucci passed away peacefully at home on January 10, 2026. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral Mass at St Elizabeth's Church, 220 E. Blancke Street, Linden on Saturday, January 17 at 10:00am. Visiting hours are Friday January 16, 4:00-8:00pm at Leonard Lee Funeral Home, 301 E. Blancke Street, Linden.

Jay's life was fully lived, entirely rooted in the city she loved and helped shape. Born at home on Wood Avenue in 1930, Jay was the second daughter and the third of seven children of Frank and Palma Villani. After graduating from Linden High School, Jay trained as a medical secretary at Paine Hall in New York City. Her secretarial skills led her back to the office of Linden High, where she worked for most of her professional life. For generations of students and colleagues, she was a steady, compassionate, elegant presence, kind, and always impeccably put together.

Jay married Armand Colucci in 1953, and the two shared a loving partnership that spanned 65 years. She spent the final years of their marriage caring for her husband, an act of love that defined her strength and devotion.

Jay was known for her glamour, grace, fondness for a blue home interior, her incredible neatness and her cheesecake. Her home reflected her standards: immaculate, welcoming, and always decorated for the season. Her loving, gentle nature found full expression in her relationships with her many nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews, following their lives with pride, hosting sleepovers when they were young, and making sure every little girl who wanted sparkly nails got them. Family was at the center of Jay's world and she would happily travel for a family event anywhere in the world, attending graduations in California, Minnesota and Frankfurt, Germany; Christmas in London, and weddings in Hawaii and Colorado. And if she came to stay with you, you'd find your house noticeably neater and cleaner than before she arrived.

Jay embraced life with great spirit, always eager to try something new. She ran the New York City Marathon twice, was an active member of the Lions Club, a member of the Linden Democratic Club and most significantly, a trustee of the Linden Public Library and the Mayor's Cultural and Heritage Committee. Active in Linden's social life, Jay knew what was happening before most others did, and no good gossip ever got past her.

When she and Armand weren't at the Shore, summers were spent gardening and joyfully competing with her three sisters over who grew the hottest peppers and the best tomatoes. Whatever the holiday, and she marked them all, every family member knew that Aunt Jay's card would be the first to arrive in the mail.

Jay Colucci leaves behind a legacy of elegance, devotion, and spirited living. She will be remembered for her style, stamina, generosity, and the way she made everyone around her feel glad for having known her.

She is survived by her sister Carmella (Nina) Sadry and many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her loving husband Armand 2020,  her sisters Clara Troiano, Rosalie Bosco and Aida St John, and brothers Diodato, Carmine, Francesco and Frank Villani.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to St Jude's Hospital www.stjude.org in her memory.