Obituary of Lola Ann Scala

Lola Ann (nee Bevilacque) Scala, a 60-year resident of Hopatcong, NJ, passed away peacefully on Monday, August 19, 2024, with her loving daughter, Karen, and son-in-law, Mark Pendlebury, by her side at their home in Valencia, CA. She was 88 years old. Lola was born on May 18, 1936, in Newark, NJ, to the late Charles and Viola (Cantelmo) Bevilacque. She is predeceased by her loving husband John M. Scala (2020), and her brother Anthony “Jerry” Bevilacque (1999).

Early in her career, Lola worked as a Registered Nurse at Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ, as well as a private duty nurse at Dover General Hospital, Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, and Neptune Hospital in Point Pleasant. She was employed as a school nurse for the Hopatcong School District where she worked for 30 years before retiring in 1999. In the late-1960s through the mid-1970s, Lola was the Director of the Hopatcong Eagles Youth Football League Cheerleading Program. For several years during the 1970s, she worked for the HeadStart summer program in Hopatcong. Lola also performed duties as the campus nurse for The County College of Morris. For many years while working as a school nurse, she was an award-winning bowler in the Hopatcong Schools Teachers’ League. She was a member of St. Jude’s R.C. Church in Hopatcong for nearly 60 years, a loyal supporter of Hopatcong Schools athletics who was honored – along with her husband – as “Hopatcong’s #1 Fans,” and a member of both the Hopatcong and Mine Hill Seniors. Lola enjoyed Hopatcong Seniors Bocce, Bingo, and the “Golden Lunch Bunch.” Later in life, she never missed an episode of Jeopardy and was an avid fan of the Hallmark Channel. Lola could be spotted driving honorees in the annual town parades in her red Mustang convertible. In 2020, she and her husband John were honored as “Hopatcong Seniors of the Year.”

Lola is survived by her son John Charles Scala and fiancée Janet (Linne) Johnson of Channahon, Illinois; daughter Karen Marie Pendlebury and husband Mark of Valencia, California; and son Mark Henry Scala and wife Kathy of Newburgh, New York; grandchildren Aubrey Scala and partner Shelly Moore; Valerie Krohn and husband Joshua; Daniel Noa; Chris Scala and wife Megan; Chelsey Hudson and husband Shane; Gabbi Noa; Samantha McDavitt and husband Simon; step-grandchildren Jon and Jessica Fendt; and great-grandchildren Lauren, Rachel, and Emily Krohn; Eden, Chloe and Frankie Hudson; and Lola Liversedge.

Lola’s Life Celebration will include memorial gatherings and visitations on Sunday, September 22, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. – 6 p.m., at the Leber-Lakeside Funeral Home, 150 Landing Road, Landing, NJ. Family and friends are invited to gather directly at St. Jude’s Roman Catholic Church, 40 Maxim Drive, Hopatcong, NJ, for a memorial mass at 10 a.m. on Monday, September 23, with interment to follow at Stanhope Union Cemetery, 69 Love Lane, Mt. Olive Township, NJ. In lieu of flowers, Lola had requested donations be made in her memory to the American Cancer Society or to St. Jude’s R.C. Church in Hopatcong.