Elio "Leo" S. Natale

Elio (Leo) Salvatore Natale of Hampton, NJ, was born on March 31, 1934, in Westfield, NJ, and passed away peacefully at home on July 28, 2021. He was the youngest child of Frank and Angelina (nee Gennovese) Natale, and one of only two born in the United States. Leo’s Italian roots were never far from him. From an incredibly young age, Leo found himself working in the family’s Italian bakery in Summit, NJ. He eventually went on to study pastry arts to further hone his skills as a baker. After decades as a baker, though, Leo, being one with an entrepreneurial spirit, shifted gears and enrolled in cosmetology school where he met and fell in love with Carolyn Fraebel. They married in 1970. Together, Leo and Carolyn owned several businesses while raising their two children.

Leo’s true passion, though, had always been his relationship with the Lord, and at an age when most people might think about retiring, Leo sold his business and dedicated his life to full time ministry. Always a lifelong learner, Leo went back to school in his fifties and earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology. He served as the head of the counseling department at the ministry where he worked until his retirement in 2018. He found joy in sharing God’s love and promises to those people he counseled and was incredibly blessed to be in that role. He consistently lived out and encouraged the message from Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

His greatest joy, though, was always his family. Everything Leo did was for his wife, kids, and grandchildren. Leo is survived by his wife of 51 years, Carolyn Grace Natale (nee Fraebel), his son Frank Natale and wife Paula of The Woodlands, Texas, his daughter Angelina DaSilva and her husband Marcelo of Hampton, New Jersey, and his grandchildren Luke DaSilva, Lucy Natale, Nicholas Natale, Jesse Natale, Rocco Natale, and Caroline DaSilva. He is predeceased by his grandson, Matthew DaSilva, with whom he has now been reunited in eternity.

A private interment will take place for family, and a memorial service in celebration of Leo’s life will be announced at a later date.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington, NJ 08822.

For further information or to send an online condolence, please visit www.holcombefisher.com.