Marie was a force of nature who fiercely loved her family and her longtime school community in Bristol. She was a beloved wife and mother of six and grandmother of eight, who created a life of love, fun and laughter. To us, she was “practically perfect in every way.”
While raising her family with Ed, her Cardinal Dougherty High School sweetheart who she was married to for 50 years, Marie was a Catholic school teacher for 27 years.
She began teaching after graduating high school in Philadelphia and returned years later first as the gym teacher at St. Mark and St. Ann schools in Bristol, and then as the longtime fourth-grade teacher at St. Ann. There she brought back Spirit Day, lead accreditation efforts, and each year produced the Living Stations of the Cross at Easter with her students. She loved her years teaching and her students, bringing fun and traditions like her Leprechaun shenanigans on St. Patrick’s Day to the school.
Marie’s best job would come in retirement when she became a grandmother. Before that her six children were her favorites, spending countless hours on sidelines, hockey rinks, family gatherings and special vacations. She taught them to work hard and dream big. Marie wasn’t big on rules or saying no; she just figured out how to make things work and found joy doing it.
As a Grandmom, she was legend. At Christmas, she was better than Santa Claus. She made trips to the Outer Banks, on cruises and to Disney lifetime memories. She was their biggest cheerleader and supporter and will continue to watch over each of them.
Marie was the beloved daughter of the late John and Margaret Mary (Sullivan) Malone and was born and raised in Philadelphia.
She is survived by her loving husband, Eduardo, and their children Edward (Donna), Danielle Camilli, Melissa Slivka (Stephen), Michael (Michelle), Brian, and Marialena King (Zachary). She will be missed forever by her amazing grandbabies Keira, Ava, Kiley, Lila, Aiden, Stephen, Brian and Delaney.
She is also survived by her sisters Dorothy, Betty and Kathleen and brothers Eddie and Marty, and dozens of nieces and nephews and other extended family. She was preceded in death by her brother John.
The Delfin family extends heartfelt appreciation to all the doctors and nurses at Fox Chase Cancer Center, who expertly and lovingly cared for Marie. Memorial donations can be made to Fox Chase in her name.
A viewing for Marie will be held Thursday, June 22, 2023 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at James J. Dougherty Funeral Home, Inc., 2200 Trenton Road, Levittown, Pennsylvania 19056. A secondary viewing will occur on Friday, June 23, 2023 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, 2200 Trenton Road, Levittown, Pennsylvania 19056. A funeral service follow. A burial will occur Friday, June 23, 2023 following services at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 3301 W Cheltenham Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19150.
