A funeral mass was offered June 10 at Our Lady of Grace Church, Hoboken, for Teofilo (Tom) Olivieri, 75. He passed away June 5 at his home surrounded by his family. Tom was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and settled in Hoboken in the early 1950s with his family, one of the first Puerto Rican families to move to his Willow Avenue block. A tenant’s rights activist, and later a cultural affairs official for the City of Hoboken, he had long been a center of cultural and civic activities in Hoboken’s broad-ranging Hispanic community, including fighting the widespread displacement of poor residents during the 70’s. He retired in 2001.

Tom was the husband of over 51 years to Margarita Olivieri. He was the father of Vivian Colon, Teofilo Olivieri Jr., Margarita Olivieri (Daniel Puro), and Kristle Olivieri. He is the brother of Edwin Olivieri (Gladys), Socorro Rivera, and Maria Medina (Angel). He is survived by eight grandchildren, Frankie and Elizabeth Francolino, Samantha Olivieri, Gabriella and Aiden Dimonde, Louis and Ariel Colon and also Isabella Puro. Services arranged by the Lawton-Turso Funeral Home, Hoboken.