Obituary of Mary Ann Ricci

Mary Ann Schaferling Ricci, 70, of Vineland, New Jersey passed away on September 11th surrounded by her loving family. She was born to the late Ethel and Paul Schaferling on December 15, 1946 in Hartford City, Indiana. Mary Ann graduated from Saint Mary's Academy in Monroe, Michigan. She also attended Sacred Heart High School in Vineland, NJ from 1960-62 where she met her late husband, Ron Ricci. She went on to have three beautiful daughters and spent many vacations with friends and family skiing, going to the beach, playing cards and boating. In her earlier years, Mary Ann was one of the owners of Ricci's Cards and Gifts in Vineland, NJ where she mostly ran the children's clothing store known as The Little Shop. She enjoyed this role, in particular, because she was able to interact with children on a daily basis. One of her yearly highlights was the arrival of Santa Claus at the store, which brought hundreds of families together to enjoy the holidays. One of Mary Ann's greatest joys in life was making her family happy. She accomplished this through her love of cooking as she often hosted large family gatherings with a feast of gourmet dishes. Mary Ann also enjoyed attending her grandchildren's extra-curricular and athletic events to cheer them on and support them. She considered her grandchildren her most precious gifts in life, bringing her so much happiness, laughter, life, and love. A piece of Mary Ann will no doubt live on in each one of them.