Antoinette Iemma

Antoinette Iemma of Pelham Manor, New York, passed away on December 27th, 2020. She was 63 years old. Born in New York City to Italian immigrant parents Giovanni and Rosa Iemma, Antoinette was the youngest of three children. Antoinette was raised in the Bronx where she attended St. Benedict's Elementary School and Preston High School. After graduating Preston High in the class of 1975, Antoinette would attend Queens College where she would graduate with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Her love of all things creative would compel her to further her education with another degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York where she studied Textile Design and Buying and Merchandising.

Antoinette began her dream career at Philips-Van Heusen in 1981. She spent 15 years in textile design and would eventually become Product Manager. During this time, Antoinette and her husband Joseph lived in Queens where they had their first child together, Gianna Franca. When Gianna was five years old, Antoinette and her family moved to Pelham, where they had their second child, Joe Antonio. Two of Antoinette's most defining characteristics were being a devoted mother and spirited hard worker. Antoinette was most proud of her two children, Gianna and Joe. She never once missed any of their music recitals, soccer games, or school plays, and was always their loudest cheerleader.

While raising her children, Antoinette would attain her real estate license and work as a Real Estate Broker. She loved helping others find their dream home. In 2015, Antoinette would also become a Travel Concierge at Bayside Travel in Bronxville. Antoinette believed in the power of exploring and traveling. As a concierge, she enjoyed helping people make meaningful memories through their travel and also enjoyed learning about cultures and countries through her own travel experiences.

In her spare time, Antoinette loved to cook everything and anything! She was a lifelong learner, antique collector, energetic dancer, and creative designer. She embodied all things Italian, celebrated life, and loved to create memories and spend time with her family and friends. She will be remembered as beautiful, stylish, warm, daringly unique, and exceptionally passionate. She was vivacious, magnetic, and infectiously hilarious!

Antoinette will be incredibly missed by her husband Joseph Viola, her children Gianna and Joe, her siblings Catherine and Dominic, and her large extended family. She will be missed by everyone she knew.

A celebration of Antoinette's life will be held at the Pelham Funeral Home, located at 64 Lincoln Ave, Pelham, NY on Wednesday, December 30th from 4-8pm. For more information or to leave a condolence, please visit pelhamfuneral.com.

The Funeral Home will be practicing recommended CDC guidelines. Seating for family will be priority, and friends will be allowed in as the space permits.

Antoinette's family will be arranging a memorial mass service at a future date. Until then, as Antoinette would say: "mangia, bevi, e felicità."