Nutley Family Has Drive By Birthday Party For Beloved ‘Nana’

NUTLEY, NJ — A Nutley woman with five children and 14 grandchildren recently got a heartwarming surprise from her family: a drive by birthday party.

When Dolores DePersio turned 95 last week, her family – which also includes 29 great-grandchildren – knew they had to put together something special. But planning a party in the age of the coronavirus isn’t easy.

Natalie Grasso, whose fiancé, Jason DePersio, is one of Dolores’ grandchildren, said the family originally wanted to throw a big surprise bash, but had to change their plans because of the coronavirus. So instead, they put together a tribute on wheels to their beloved “Nana.”

It was well-deserved, Grasso said.

According to Grasso, DePersio was born in Newark and moved to Nutley with her late husband, Rocky DePersio, in 1962.

“I have never met a kinder, more generous or more loving woman in my life,” she told Patch. “She’s an angel on this Earth.”

Watch footage from the birthday tribute on Bloomfield Avenue below.

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