Giulia Herbst, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, died peacefully on November 1, 2022, following a long illness.  She was eighty years old and a longtime resident of Morristown, NJ.  Giulia is survived by her husband of 55 years, Edward Herbst; her daughter, Audrey, and her husband, Paul Malmont, and their children Nathaniel and Wes, and her son, Karl, and his wife, Allison, and their children Hayden and Henry, all of Los Angeles.  She is also survived by her brother, Francesco Ioele, of Sapri, Italy, as well her brother, Luigi Ioele, and her cousin, Adriana Harrington, whom she considered her sister, both of Long Island.

Born Giuliana Ioele on March 29, 1942, in Belvedere di Spinello, Italy, she emigrated to Brooklyn, NY, with her family as a teenager.  A gifted student and avid reader, she skipped two grades and graduated at the age of 15 from the convent school in Florence that she attended with her adored cousins, Adriana and Philomena, before studying chemistry in Italy and at Long Island University.   Throughout her life, she wore many hats, from being a special needs teacher to owning a sneaker store, but most important to her was her roles as wife, Mom and Nonna - and she gave those her infinite energy and love.

Giulia’s gift for gab was something to behold and what those knew her will remember most about her.  She made friends wherever she went, learning things about people that seemed impossible given they had just met.  She would then turn those encounters into connections to bring people together.   She also brought people together with food.  Her baked ziti and chicken cutlets were legendary.  No one was allowed in a kitchen without her, and no one would leave her house hungry.  And everyone knew that she’d arrive at their house carrying a bag filled with people’s favorite dishes - even smuggling soppresata on a plane to bring to Karl in LA.

Giulia was a bit of a whirlwind, and so was her romance with her husband, Ed.  Her best friend at work happened to be Ed’s cousin, Vera Chaplin, who introduced them in July - and they were engaged by Thanksgiving.  He describes having fallen in love with her the moment he met her.  And that love gave them more than 55 years together.  Ed felt that Giulia’s gab and whirlwind nature helped, supported and cared for him; in turn, he provided that for her once they learned of her illness.

The family plans a private remembrance of Giulia, but as she could turn anything into a story, we’d love if people would share their stories and photos of her in the guest book here.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to the Alzheimer’s Association.