Obituary of Jonice Lee Sanacore

Jonice Lee “Respess” Sanacore, 92, of Staten Island, passed away peacefully at Sunrise Assisted Living in the early hours of Saturday, June 24, 2023. She was born and raised in Oriental, NC to Ida Bell “Fornes“ Respess and John “Jack” Blackwell Respess on November 1, 1930. She grew up in rural North Carolina on a farm with her grandparents during the depression and graduated from Oriental High School in 1948. Jonice moved to Staten Island and was married to Charles Sanacore on December 13, 1952, after they met while he was stationed at Fort Bragg and she was a graduate nurse. Jonice continued her education in NY and graduated as an LPN from the NY State Willowbrook Nursing program in 1969 and began working for SI Hospital where she remained devoted to her career for 30 years until retiring. She was honored for her 20 years of service to the hospital in 1989. During this time, she and her husband owned and ran the Sanacore Grocery and Deli family business together on Sand Lane from 1959 to 1986 where they raised their two children. Family came first and Jonice took care of everyone …a devoted nurse, a gardener with a true Green Thumb, an excellent cook of both southern dishes as well as Italian cuisine. She was a lover of books, Broadway shows, and country music. She loved to travel and had many stories to share, she could also give you an accurate weather report and there was always a nice breeze on Cleveland Place where she spent her later years. Jonice was a very smart woman who was in many ways ahead of her time and will be dearly missed. Jonice is preceded in death by her husband Charles “Chuck” Sanacore, her sisters Jacklyn Respess and Mary Respess Flowers. Jonice is survived by her two loving children, Charles Benjamin Sanacore and daughter Barbara Lee Sanacore Johnston and son in law Paul Johnston as well as her brother-in-law, Ira Linwood Flowers. Jonice is also survived by her five grandchildren who she cherished, Daniel, Michael and Steven Sanacore, Lauren Lee and Christopher Johnston and by her three great grandchildren who were dear to her, Adalynn, Elijah and Mason as well as her nieces and nephews. Family and Friends may visit on Saturday, July 22, 2023, for her Memorial services from 2:00 to 6:00 pm at Matthews Funeral Home: 2508 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY. Jonice never forgot her Southern roots and she chose for her ashes to be laid to rest with her family in the Blackwell Cemetery in Oriental, NC, at a later date. In lieu of flower, the family welcomes donations in Jonice’s name to the following Organizations with our appreciation… A.N.A - American Nurses Association - www.nursingworld.org The American Heart Association - www.heart.org