Our Mission
The Toni & Rich Memorial Fund has been created by family and friends to honor Toni Ann Narciso (Frangiosa) and Richard Nave. These two incredible individuals were taken too early from this world.
Both Toni and Rich were not just natives of Norristown, regularly involved with our community in many different ways, but embodied the spirit of giving and gratitude with all they had.
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The expansion of the Elmwood Park Zoo celebrating 100 years of operation, offers and excellent opportunity to memorialize Toni & Rich by giving, in their names, to an incredibly worthy cause.
It was an easy decision to set our first mission to raise funds to help build the new state-of-the-art zoo playground that children will enjoy for decades to come. The playground will be named in rememberence of Toni and Rich.
Our vision for the memorial fund is to not only pay tribute to the lives of our friends who have left us but also to contribute to the betterment of the area community.
The playground will serve as a lasting reminder of their legacy and the positive influence they had on the local community, and will privide many years of fun and enjoyment for both children and adults who visit the Zoo.
We would like to express our gratitude to you either for reading about Toni and Rich or for donating to the cause to help enrich the lives of visitors to the Elmwood Park Zoo.
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Rich's Story
Native Norristownian, Richie Nave, was born on May 14, 1971 at Montgomery Hospital. On June 19, 2022, Norristown and the greater community learned the shocking news: Richie had passed away suddenly at 51 years young on Father's Day surrounded by his beautiful family.
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Richie's roots ran long and deep in Norristown. He attended St. Paul's Catholic School and graduated from Bishop Kenrick High School in 1989. After his graduation from Penn State University, at a time where he could have gone anywhere to pursue his interests and explore the world, Richie returned "home" - to Norristown - and started his first (and last) job at the Montgomery County Health Department in 1996. One of many testaments of his loyalty, Richie had logged in 26 years of uninterrupted service...
Toni's Story
Toni Ann Narciso (Frangiosa) lost a hard fought battle to pancreatic cancer on February 18, 2022.
Born and raised in the Norristown area, during Toni’s lifetime, her selflessness was unmatched. She would always give and never expected or needed anything in return. She believed in helping within her own community. Toni performed on a small scale, however, the impact was big. Assisting a family in need with school supplies or holiday gifts was how she operated. Her faith was deep and she constantly would put herself in a situation where she could help someone.
Toni loved spending time with her family more than anything. Her happiest moments were when she hosted holidays or had the family over for Sunday dinner.
Toni taught Prep at Visitation BVM for 14 years. Her passion for teaching religion to young people was evident in her dedication to the program.
Toni attended two of Norristown’s legendary schools, Holy Saviour and Bishop Kenrick.
The Elmwood Park Zoo was where Toni and her husband Charlie regularly visited with their son Colton. To include her memory in this expansion of the zoo is a culmination of her passion for making her community a better place and encouraging families of any size to spend time together.