Christiana Iarocci

Christiana C. Iarocci of Pelham, New York, passed away peacefully on October 1, 2026 at the age of 95.

Born in New Rochelle to Francesco and Angelina Passarelli, Christiana, was the fourth of five children. She was raised in New Rochelle, where she attended St. Joseph’s Elementary School and New Rochelle public schools.

Following school, she began a career in restaurants and with catering establishments. As a caterer, she worked everything from weddings to graduations to bar mitzvahs. For a woman whose first language was Italian, she developed an understanding of Yiddish working with Kosher caterers. She would often blend some of the Calabrese dialect with Yiddish phrases. For those who knew her, this was quite unique and funny.

In April 1957, she married Henry Iarocci at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Scarsdale and moved to Mount Vernon where their only child, Joseph, was born. In 1975 they moved to Pelham where she resided the rest of her life. She was predeceased in life by her husband, Henry, in 2004.

She leaves behind Joseph and his wife Maria. Their son Joseph and his wife Sandra and Gabrielle, her granddaughter.

A celebration of Chistiana’s life will take place at Pelham Funeral Home, 64 Lincoln Avenue, Pelham, New York on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.