Jeanette “Jets” Mottola, age 91, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Wilmington, Delaware. Though her body decided it was time, her mind was as sharp as ever — cracking jokes and making everyone smile right up until the very end.
Born on February 11, 1934, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Louis and Susan Callazzo, Jets grew up in Philadelphia, where she met her beloved husband, Joe. Together they moved to Wilmington, Delaware and started their family. Jets was a resilient woman who took life’s many challenges in stride with unwavering positivity and wit. To know Jets was to love her—she was truly one of a kind. Her infectious personality and magnetic presence made her the most popular person in every room, earning her a wide circle of friends all over the world but especially at home in Wilmington, at the shore in Stone Harbor, and in the sun at Delray Beach.
Jets leaves behind a lasting impact on her community; teaching, mentoring, parenting, and even spending time as a local seamstress and owner of a bridal boutique, Yesterday’s Bride. She had a gift for brightening anyone’s day — it didn’t matter if you were family, friend, or stranger; everyone walked away from a conversation with Jets with a smile on their face. She dedicated her life to her family and helping others and was able to enjoy a well deserved retirement of world travel and leisure to add to her ever-evolving world of storytelling and adventures.
Jets is survived by her three sons, Stephen, Nick (Kristy) and Tony (Amy); her grandchildren, Hadley (Griffin), Jake, Claire, Josh, Max, Wade, and Josey; brother, Nick Callazzo (Bobbi) and nieces Kristin and Kim and their families, dear friends Rosanne Miller and her daughters, and John Sloniewski, along with many other friends and family. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph, and her daughter, Jeanine.
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