Michelle Joan (Perry) Maida, Oceanport, beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, cousin and friend, passed quietly into Heaven on Friday, September 23, 2022 surrounded by light, love, prayers, family and loved ones.
She was born in Long Branch (MMC) on December 20, 1969 to Samuel Perry, Sr. and Joan Marie (Simpson) Perry. Michelle grew up in Oceanport in the‘70’s and 80’s with close knit family and treasured friends, swimming, diving (and later working) at the Oceanport Lions Swim Club, hanging with family and friends at the Driftwood Beach Club, shopping at the mall and enjoying extended family dinners at Aunt Kitty’s. She was an amazing gymnast and cheerleader and could be found on the lawn landing back handsprings anytime day or night.
Always ambitious, Michelle graduated Shore Regional High School Class of ‘88, attended Brookdale College and beauty school, became a successful nail technician loved by all her clients and later obtained her license as a NJ State realtor, working for Heritage House Sotheby’s International Realty. Her greatest aspiration, above all else, was having a loving family and a beautiful home, and here she achieved extraordinary success.
Creating memorable holidays and caring for her family were among Michelle’s favorite things to do: cooking favorite family dinners, simmering her Sunday Sauce, hosting birthdays with chocolate cake, babysitting “the kids” while her siblings went out, sitting on her front porch, and relaxing in her prized living room (finished with shiplap) watching favorite shows and soap operas. She loved rooting her kids on at gymnastics meets and wrestling matches, taking the kids on camping excursions, snowboarding trips to Vermont (with Uncle John’s crew), Disneyworld and fancy cruises, trying new restaurants, an Extra Extra Dirty Martini (Kettle One with Blue Cheese Olives), reading books by the pool, her “cheapo” glasses, and was an avid couch collector on Buy, Swap Sell. She adored her white hydrangeas, roses and lilies, and especially her green porch ferns; yelling at all her kids (with love), using the wooden spoon and adding items to her neverending “Honey Do List” for Chris. She will be forever loved and forever cherished.
Michelle is predeceased by her parents Sam and Joan Perry, older brother Michael Perry and niece Danielle Orio. She is survived by her devoted husband, Christopher M. Maida; her four loving children, Luke Sperling, Tyler Sperling, Riley Maida and Jack Maida; granddog Milo; protective brothers Sam Perry (sister-in-law Rosy), Scott Perry (Karla); sister Eleanor (Sissy) Wagner (Steven); Aunt Katherine (Kitty) Salerno; Uncle Joseph Perry; father-in-law and mother-in-law Ralph and Kathy Maida; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Jennifer and Michael Schiavo; adored nieces and nephews Frank, Kristen, Janine, Justin, Nick (Nicole), Devan, Ryan and Astrid; grandnieces and grandnephews, Ethan, Aniyaa, Kiyona, Trinity, Frankie, Marie, Briley, Deonna and Roman Franco, and extended aunts, uncles and cousins.
Visitation will be held at the Damiano Funeral Home on Sunday, September 25, 2022 from 1:00pm - 4:00pm at 191 Franklin Avenue in Long Branch. The Funeral will be on Monday, September 26, 2022 at 9:30am at the funeral home followed by a 10:30am Mass held at the Church of the Precious Blood, 72 Riverdale Avenue in Monmouth Beach. In lieu of flowers, in Michelle’s memory, please help our environment by adopting a tree or donate to your local wrestling program. The family invites you to leave a letter of condolence through the Tribute/Guestbook link above.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Michelle Maida, please visit our floral store.