Obituary for Margaret Mary Merli "Peggy"
Margaret Mary Merli (nee Malone)
Margaret Mary Merli was born in Brooklyn on April 3,1923. Raised in Queens, she was the oldest of seven children born to Joseph Malone and Elizabeth (neé Forst) Malone. In 1947, Margaret married the love of her life, Frank Merli, and they had nine children. Sadly, Frank passed away in 1979, leaving her heartbroken and widowed at 56 years old.
Despite her grief, Margaret’s strong faith and her love of family allowed her to continue to live a full and active life. Margaret and Frank moved to Rutherford in 1963 and she remained there until 1994, when she moved to Lyndhurst.
Margaret was a devoted mother to her nine children, 24 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
While raising her family was always her primary focus, Margaret also worked her entire life. As a young mother, she and Frank owned a candy store in Brooklyn. She worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and was a keypunch operator at ADP in its early years. After retiring from ADP, she continued to work well into her eighties as a receptionist for Dr. Steven Poling.
Although she had little interest in sports, she spent many hours sitting on bleachers to watch her children and grandchildren’s games.
By her own admission, her only vices were bingo and casinos. She loved her weekly bingo games and regular trips to Atlantic City or Mount Airy, which featured her favorite Wheel Of Fortune slot machines.
As a devout Catholic, she was a member of St. Mary Church in Rutherford and prior to the coronavirus pandemic, she never missed 10:30 Mass on Sundays or any religious holiday.
Margaret was resilient throughout her life and strong to the end. She lived by her motto “You Do What You Have To Do” and was a wonderful role model. She will be deeply missed by her entire family.
She is survived by her loving children, Joseph and his wife Janet (Mariano); Peggy Letsche and her husband Dennis; John and his wife Claudia (Manotas); Mary Sujkowski and her husband Mark; James and his wife Sandra (Viecelli); Frank and his wife Kim (Matz); Robert and his wife Lucy (Podimani); and daughters-in-law Jane (Robie) Merli and Janice (Doonan) Merli. She will be greatly missed by her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Margaret is also survived by her brother, Jack Malone, and sister, Agnes Crosson; her sisters-in-law Ann, Trudy and Dolores Malone; as well as many loving nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents and husband, she is predeceased by her siblings, Betty, Joseph, Joan and Thomas, and most recently her dear sister-in-law, Rita Desiderio. She is also predeceased by two of her sons,Thomas and Peter, and her two loving grandchildren, Dawn and Brian Letsche.
Family will receive friends Sunday 4:00 to 8:00pm in the Calhoun-Mania Funeral Home, 19 Lincoln Ave., Rutherford.
Funeral Monday 8:45am in Funeral Home for 9:00am family Eulogy followed by 10:30am Mass of Christian Liturgy in the Church of Saint Mary, Rutherford.
Interment in Hillside Cemetery, 742 Rutherford Ave., Lyndhurst.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to the New Jersey State Organization of Cystic Fibrosis or Valley Hospice.
*On behalf of the Merli family and for the safety of all family and friends, we ask to please limit your stay to only a few minutes to allow everyone to pay their respects, as there is a mandated limit to the amount of people during Services. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding during these unprecedented times.*
Hand sanitizer available at the entrance, masks required.
Margaret Mary Merli was born in Brooklyn on April 3,1923. Raised in Queens, she was the oldest of seven children born to Joseph Malone and Elizabeth (neé Forst) Malone. In 1947, Margaret married the love of her life, Frank Merli, and they had nine children. Sadly, Frank passed away in 1979, leaving her heartbroken and widowed at 56 years old.
Despite her grief, Margaret’s strong faith and her love of family allowed her to continue to live a full and active life. Margaret and Frank moved to Rutherford in 1963 and she remained there until 1994, when she moved to Lyndhurst.
Margaret was a devoted mother to her nine children, 24 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
While raising her family was always her primary focus, Margaret also worked her entire life. As a young mother, she and Frank owned a candy store in Brooklyn. She worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and was a keypunch operator at ADP in its early years. After retiring from ADP, she continued to work well into her eighties as a receptionist for Dr. Steven Poling.
Although she had little interest in sports, she spent many hours sitting on bleachers to watch her children and grandchildren’s games.
By her own admission, her only vices were bingo and casinos. She loved her weekly bingo games and regular trips to Atlantic City or Mount Airy, which featured her favorite Wheel Of Fortune slot machines.
As a devout Catholic, she was a member of St. Mary Church in Rutherford and prior to the coronavirus pandemic, she never missed 10:30 Mass on Sundays or any religious holiday.
Margaret was resilient throughout her life and strong to the end. She lived by her motto “You Do What You Have To Do” and was a wonderful role model. She will be deeply missed by her entire family.
She is survived by her loving children, Joseph and his wife Janet (Mariano); Peggy Letsche and her husband Dennis; John and his wife Claudia (Manotas); Mary Sujkowski and her husband Mark; James and his wife Sandra (Viecelli); Frank and his wife Kim (Matz); Robert and his wife Lucy (Podimani); and daughters-in-law Jane (Robie) Merli and Janice (Doonan) Merli. She will be greatly missed by her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Margaret is also survived by her brother, Jack Malone, and sister, Agnes Crosson; her sisters-in-law Ann, Trudy and Dolores Malone; as well as many loving nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents and husband, she is predeceased by her siblings, Betty, Joseph, Joan and Thomas, and most recently her dear sister-in-law, Rita Desiderio. She is also predeceased by two of her sons,Thomas and Peter, and her two loving grandchildren, Dawn and Brian Letsche.
Family will receive friends Sunday 4:00 to 8:00pm in the Calhoun-Mania Funeral Home, 19 Lincoln Ave., Rutherford.
Funeral Monday 8:45am in Funeral Home for 9:00am family Eulogy followed by 10:30am Mass of Christian Liturgy in the Church of Saint Mary, Rutherford.
Interment in Hillside Cemetery, 742 Rutherford Ave., Lyndhurst.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to the New Jersey State Organization of Cystic Fibrosis or Valley Hospice.
*On behalf of the Merli family and for the safety of all family and friends, we ask to please limit your stay to only a few minutes to allow everyone to pay their respects, as there is a mandated limit to the amount of people during Services. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding during these unprecedented times.*
Hand sanitizer available at the entrance, masks required.