Please click HERE on Friday beginning at 10:00am for a livestream of the Visitation and Funeral Service.

Phyllis Joan (Pecci) Nouhan, 91, of Clifton passed away peacefully on May 27, 2026, in the comfort of her home, with her loving family at her bedside.

Born June 9, 1934, Phyllis was a lifelong resident of Clifton, living briefly in Paterson shortly after marrying the love of her life, Charles “Chuck” Nouhan, on September 18, 1954. Phyllis and Chuck met at ages 16 and 17, respectively, and remained happily married and devoted to each other for over 71 years until Chuck’s death five weeks ago.  

Phyllis was a graduate of the Clifton High School Class of June 1952, where she served as a majorette in the CHS Mustang Marching Band and was voted “Best Dressed”. She was a graduate of the Vogue School of Modeling in NYC and worked briefly as a millinery model. She and Chuck met during their high school years when both worked at The Federal Sweets and Biscuit Company in Clifton where Chuck, who worked in receiving, famously crashed a pallet of empty cookie tins into a pillar when he caught his first glimpse of Phyllis delivering paperwork from the secretarial office above. Chuck always said, “I was born, and there was Phyllis, and I don’t remember anything in between!”

After the birth of their first child, Phyllis became a homemaker, devoted to raising their three children and creating a loving home for her family. She took great pride in her homemaking skills, sewing curtains, drapes and slipcovers, as well as decorating, gardening and cooking not only meals from her own Italian heritage, but also learning to prepare Chuck’s favorite meals from his Syrian heritage. Learning that her home was selected for a City of Clifton Beautification Award in 2015 thrilled her so much that it remained a special memory that her family often teased her about.

In 1968, with her children all in school, Phyllis began working part time as Chuck’s secretary in his Van Houten Avenue, Clifton business Four Star Agency Real Estate and Insurance, Inc. She continued in her secretarial role until 1996, when she retired to help care for her grandchildren.

Phyllis lived a life marked by love and devotion to family, determination, courage, and resiliency, all on full display as she fought valiantly to survive COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic, defying all odds of survival. She was later labeled a medical miracle by her doctors. Left with several health challenges from that experience, Phyllis repeatedly defied all odds and enjoyed six additional years with her husband and family who were all committed to her recovery and comfort.

Phyllis is survived by her loving children and son-in-law, who were devoted to her care these past six years; sons Charles (partner Maureen Haig) and Mark (fiancée Patricia Lord), and daughter Kim and her husband Luca Puzzo. Her most cherished role was that of a grandmother. She adored and spoiled her grandsons Sebastian, Benjamin, Kirk, and Ethan Nouhan and her granddaughter Ariana Puzzo. They brought her immeasurable pride and joy. She is also survived by her sister, Marie Marino and several nieces and nephews, some of whom visited often to brighten her days. Phyllis was predeceased by her beloved parents, Albert O. and Josephine (Piscatelli) Pecci and her brother Frank Pecci.

The family wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to Phyllis’s devoted health care professionals Marvella Nelson, Shella Melbourne, and Brigitta Baffoe who provided exceptional care these past six years, as well as the City of Clifton Fire Department and EMTs, and the Clifton Police Department for their numerous responses to calls for aid over the past several years, always performed with dignity, compassion and respect.

At the family’s request, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Phyllis Nouhan to The Clifton Education Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 2071, Clifton, NJ 07015, which provides opportunities for students in Clifton Public Schools, where Phyllis and her children received their education. www.cliftoneducationfoundation.org

Visitation will be held at Bizub-Quinlan Funeral Home, 1313 Van Houten Avenue, Clifton on Friday from 10:00am-12:00pm with a funeral service to then follow at 12:00pm. Entombment Calvary Cemetery Mausoleum, Paterson.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Phyllis J. (Pecci) Nouhan, please visit our floral store.