Obituary of Elena Petronio

Elly Petronio, nee Elena Unghy, was born in Croatia (formerly known as Fiume, Italy) in 1935.  Her family later emigrated to Genoa Italy, where she met and married her husband, Giorgio.  When Giorgio was elevated to a senior management position at Johnson & Johnson in 1979, they moved to the United States and settled in Princeton.  

Elly was a frequent traveler to Europe, particularly Italy, and frequently served as a tour guide in Italy for Friends of the Princeton University Art Museum. She was an active bridge player and was, until recent years, an avid tennis player and a member of the Pretty Brook Tennis Club.

Elly was a longtime benefactor of the Institute for Advanced Studies and the New Jersey Symphony and was a generous contributor to various other Princeton charities.

Elly was a devoted member of the Stony Brook Garden Club and established the Elly and Giorgio Stony Brook Environmental Award.  She had also been a long-time member of the Nassau Club.

Elly was predeceased by her husband, Giorgio in 2004 and her parents Zlata (Racky) and Zolten R. Unghy.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 11am on Friday, February 24, 2023 at St. Charles Borromeo, 47 Skillman Rd, Skillman, NJ 08558. Burial of ashes will follow in Princeton Cemetery.

Arrangements are under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.