On December 6, 2025, with his family by his side, Peter Francis Smeraldo passed peacefully into heaven. He was born on December 8, 1941, at St. Michael’s Hospital in Newark, NJ and was the 4th child of Albert and Margaret Smeraldo (nee Ruggiero). Peter was married to Patricia Smeraldo (nee Macauley) for 63 years, who was undoubtedly the love of his life. Peter is survived by his two sons, Peter, Jr (Kimberley) and Jeffrey (Pamala) and their children Peter Richard (Sarah), Ryan (Whitney Thuell), Connor, Katherine, Lillian, and his great-daughter Hazel. He grew up in East Orange NJ with his 8 siblings and is survived by Ann, Daniel, Edward, Margaret, and Marion and is predeceased by siblings Catherine, Joseph and Albert and granddaughter Emily.

Peter was a lifelong student and educator having taught high school English, Literature, Humanities for 32 years at Woodbridge and West Orange public schools and continued teach after retiring at Caldwell College (now Caldwell University) for another 8 years. Peter was most proud of the Humanities program he co-created with his lifelong friend and colleague, Charles Jordan.

As a lifelong student, Peter graduated from Rutgers with a bachelor’s degree, with two master’s degrees from Montclair State College (Now Montclair State University) and a Doctor of Literature (D. Litt.) from Drew University.  He took an interest in all who wanted to learn and was generous with his time teaching both within and outside of the classroom. He was especially fond of helping his children, grandchildren and his great granddaughter with any topic and would instill his love of learning to all of them. He especially enjoyed sparing with his sons’ intentional butchering of the English language, pitting his grammatical skills versus their “ain’t got nones”.

He was a lifelong student of ecclesiastical studies, often studying the Bible and the writings and teachings of the Saints. He wrote a respected and learned dissertation on the Venerable Bede for his D. Litt. Degree defense.

Peter enjoyed many hobbies such as bicycling, woodworking, literature, film, model trains, and “collecting” a variety of items (much to his wife’s chagrin).  He enjoyed telling stories, making funny voices and was always sharing a good laugh with friends and family. He was fond of puns and was famous for them. He elevated the “Dad Joke” to new levels, mostly low.  He would relish exchanging puns with his family and especially loved it when the grandchildren participated with the fun.  He was a master of wordplay and could magically stretch a phrase such as, “Hey, got a minute?” into a multi-hour family “fun” project.

Peter and Patrica loved traveling near and far, including traveling to Europe, sailing on the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Queen Mary 2 and New England destinations, especially Camp McWain, East Waterford, Maine. A magical place that built lifelong memories and friendships. He was particularly fond of trying to find I-95 without map or directions (again much to his adoring and very patient spouse’s chagrin).

Peter and Patricia lived in Orange NJ, Williamsville NY, and settled in West Orange, NJ in 1969 to raise their two sons. Peter and Patricia settled into the latter years of their life together in Lincoln Park, New Jersey in 1997 and have happily lived in a small and supportive community surrounded by friends and family.

Peter was the exemplary gentleman, treated all with respect and was respected by family, friends, colleagues and students. He was fondly remembered by many of his students as their favorite teacher and his lessons will live on through the many that he taught.

In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to the  West Orange Scholarship Fund (noting Peter Smeraldo in the memo portion of the check) and mail it to Jim Quinn, 23 Witte Place, West Orange NJ 07052. You can also make an electronic contribution by visiting https://www.woboe.org/scholarshipfund.  Look for the blue “make a difference today” button right beneath the photo gallery and note Peter Smeraldo in the Special Instructions section.

Visiting for Mr. Smeraldo will be held on Tuesday December 9, 2025 from 3:00 to 7:00 PM at Dangler Funeral Home of West Orange, 340 Main St. in West Orange.

A Funeral Mass will be offered on Wednesday December 10, 2025 at 10:00 AM at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 1 Eagle Rock Ave. in West Orange. Cremation will be private.