Remembering Cherie How the pandemic took one of Bayonne’s most cherished citizens
By Daniel Israel Photos courtesy of The La Pelusa Family
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n many ways, Cherie La Pelusa was the power behind the throne. Though her husband Gary has tirelessly served on the Bayonne City Council since 2008, Cherie shared his love for the city and was, in every way, a partner in good citizenship. She co-owned Gary La Pelusa Landscaping, the business they ran for 33 years. She was the force behind the Gary La Pelusa Association, a charitable organization whose mission is to improve the quality life for Bayonne residents, help those in need, and honor those who make the community a better place. Cherie tried to imbue others with her sense of purpose. She would often phone the Bayonne Community News if she thought the paper had overlooked a newsworthy person or event. She and Gary are lifelong residents. Cherie graduated from Bayonne High School. They were married for 28 years
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and have four children: David, Gary Jr., Jessica, and Gianna. Cherie was an early victim of the coronavirus. Doctors have learned a lot since her death on April 28. One of the vicious hallmarks of this disease is that patients who seem to be recovering can often take a sudden turn for the worse. In an interview with Bayonne: Life on the Peninsula, Gary recalled his wife’s last days.
Caring for Mom On Feb. 22, Gary’s youngest daughter Gianna, 12, was discharged from the hospital after her third surgery to remove painful bone growths due to hereditary multiple exostoses (HME). On the same day, Cherie’s mother, Adrienne Marangio, was rushed to the hospital with symptoms of a stroke. After the stroke, Adrienne had limited mobility in her right leg and arm. She was hospitalized for about a week before being transferred to St. Ann’s in Jersey City for rehabilitation.
Cherie was by her mother’s side for as long as she could be. After two or three weeks of rehabilitation, no more visitors were allowed under COVID-19 restrictions. Meanwhile, both Cherie and Adrienne had begun to develop a “rotten cough.” On April 7, Adrienne was discharged. Cherie stayed at her mother’s house.
More than a Cough On April 18, after two days at home, Adrienne was rushed to Bayonne Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with COVID-19 and pneumonia in both lungs. On April 11, Cherie talked to her doctor about her own symptoms and was prescribed the antibiotic Azithromycin to start on April 12. Her doctor sent her to get tested at the drive-thru COVID-19 site at Veterans Stadium. She was positive for the virus. On April 13, Gary and Cherie were sick in bed throughout the day. When Cherie finished the antibiotic later in the week, she still felt symptoms and was prescribed Hydroxychloroquine, an
