Theresa Valeo

Theresa Valeo was born on June 24th, 1941 in Satriano, the Catanzaro province of Calabria, Italy. Born to parents Joseph & Anna Chiaravalloti, Theresa spent her first years living in Satriano with her mother & sister Rosemary as their father was sent to war. Upon his return & birth of her two siblings Sal & Antoinette, the family immigrated to Montreal in hopes for a better life. After spending 2 years there, the family was able to immigrate to the United States, settling in northern New Jersey. In the years following, her other 3 siblings, Jeanette, Joey, & Anna were born in the states. Theresa, while bright, left school at 15 to help support her family.

While at a wedding with her sister Antoinette in 1960, Theresa met Rosario “Roy” Valeo, a fellow Calabrian immigrant. After dancing the whole night, the two were an item & that was that. On May 6th, 1962, Roy & Theresa married surrounded by their family & friends. The Valeo’s had a son, Leonard, in 1965, & another, Richard, in 1969. The family moved to the home on Ronda Road in Toms River in 1972. Theresa, an excellent cook, hosted countless family events, bringing her siblings, nieces, & nephews all together.

Theresa was artistic; some of her favorite hobbies included painting ceramics & needle pointing, with much of that work filling her families’ homes today. However, always a hardworker, Theresa wanted to work for herself. In 1980, she opened Theresa’s Beauty Salon. A successful business woman, she ran the salon for 20 years. Through her & Roy’s hard work, they were able to send both of their sons to college.

Theresa & Roy enjoyed over 63 years of marriage, traveling across the United States, to islands, & even back to their villages in Italy. Upon their sons’ marriages, Theresa celebrated & enjoyed being a Nonna to her 6 grandchildren: Chelsea, Tyler, Sydney, Sophia, Isabella, & Bianca. After retiring in the late 90s, Theresa & Roy spent time traveling, enjoying their Florida condo in the winter months, and growing gardens with fig trees in the summertime. Roy & Theresa spent 21 years of their retirement in Heritage Point, Barnegat, where they made countless friends & enjoyed the hobbies they loved.

After a long battle with dementia, Theresa joined her parents & brother Peter in heaven on April 24th, 2026, surrounded by her husband & loving sons. She is survived by her husband Roy; son Leonard’s family with wife Tamie, & their children Chelsea & husband Steve, Tyler & wife Emily, and Sydney; son Richard’s family with wife Heather, & their children Sophia, Isabella, & Bianca; and her siblings Rosemary, Sal, Antoinette, Jeanette, Joey, & Anna.

Please join us in celebrating Theresa. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 from 4 to 7 PM at Barnegat Funeral Home, 841 W. Bay Ave., Barnegat, NJ. Mass offered Thursday, 10:00 AM at St. Mary's Church, Barnegat. Entombment to follow in Ocean County Memorial Park, Toms River. (www.BarnegatFH.com) 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Prader-Willi Syndrome Association USA. (link below) 

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