Carmela Pragler of Lafayette died Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at home. She was 84.
Carmela was born in LaFollette, Tenn., on June 7, 1941. She grew up in Dover and graduated from Dover High School in 1959.
On Nov. 12, 1966, Carmela married the love of her life, Edgar Pragler Jr., at the United Methodist Church in Madison. Together they moved to Morris Plains, then spent 14 years in Wharton before settling in Lafayette, where they lived for the past 45 years.
Carmela worked as an executive secretary at Picatinny Arsenal for 25 years before retiring; this is where she first met her husband, Edgar.
She had impeccable taste, whether it be her fashion sense and love of shopping or her sophisticated decorating abilities.
She found peace and purpose in movement through exercising and hiking, activities that kept her fit and allowed her to explore the beauty of nature.
Always inquisitive about history, Carmela’s travels often took her to historical sites where she could take in the stories of those who came before her.
She loved to feel the sun on her skin and wind in her hair while she sunbathed in Point Pleasant, boated on Barnegat Bay and enjoyed numerous vacations to Key West, Fla.
Carmela was predeceased by her parents, Rene and Ruth (White) Cigliano; her brother, James Cigliano; her sister, JoAnn Fields; and her nephew, Scott Schulz.
She is survived by her beloved husband, Edgar Pragler Jr., her nephew, Lee Cigliano; her nieces, Tracie Cigliano, Terri Mock and Amber Johnson; her sister-in-law, Georgia Cigliano; and her cats, Beau and Blackie.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 at Smith-McCracken Funeral Home, 63 High St, Newton, with a funeral beginning at 5 p.m. Carmela will be laid to rest at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 4 in Rosedale Cemetery, 750 E. Linden Ave., Linden.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Carmela’s memory to Father John’s Animal House, 50 Father Johns Lane, Lafayette, NJ 07848.
Online condolences may be offered to the family at smithmccrackenfuneralhome.com