Marie Catherine Skurla

She was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 24, 1927. She was the second youngest of six children of Frank and Philomena (Fannie) Brignoli. She grew up on Long Island, New York, first in Merrick, then in Mineola. She graduated from Roslyn High School in 1945, then attended Hofstra University for two years, earning an Associate’s Degree in liberal arts. After graduating from Hofstra, Marie began working as an Administrative Assistant for Sperry Gyroscope Company on Long Island, where she worked from 1947 to 1955.

In 1947, Marie met the love of her life, George Martin Skurla, on a blind date in Westbury, NY. They courted for three years before marrying in October of 1950. Marie then retired from Sperry in September of 1955, just before giving birth to her first of four sons, George Jr. George Jr. was followed by Thomas in 1957, Martin in 1959 and James in 1961. Marie also had a daughter, Suzanne Marie, who passed just before birth in 1964, thus the Skurla family had their first Angel in Heaven.

Marie was a wonderful Mother. She was the foundation of our family and her love knew no bounds. She never missed a special date or family occasion and was always there to celebrate a loved one’s achievements or provide encouragement and compassion during the hard times in our lives. Her true essence was that she was a very kind, caring, loving and giving person her entire life. Everyone who met Marie knows this about her. She forged so many great and loving friendships over the course of her life. Marie was a charitable and giving person, always willing to help those in need. She loved her savior Jesus Christ and his Mother Mary, and was a woman of great faith. Even as a young girl living in Mineola, she seriously considered becoming a Nun, until she met her husband-to-be, George.

She was truly the Great Woman behind the Great Man, as she encouraged and supported her husband to come to Florida from Long Island, New York, in 1966 to become the Base Manager for the Grumman Lunar Module team at Kennedy Space Center, an integral part of the NASA Apollo Moon Program.

While George was busy doing his part to land astronauts on the Moon at Cape Kennedy, Marie was a dedicated Mom, keeping busy raising their four sons, and several "adopted" sons and daughters who also called her Mom. She then continued to raise her 4 sons in Florida while her husband was promoted and was transferred back to New York in 1970 so he could focus on running the Grumman Aerospace Company as its CEO & President until he retired in 1986.

She also loved to cook and was great at it. She loved making Italian meals and her meatballs were legendary. One of our favorites was her homemade chili which she made from scratch, but she also loved to prepare elegant dinners for family and friends. One of her favorites (and ours, too) was her turkey dinner with all the trimmings during the holidays.

Marie, throughout her life, was a very talented artist and in her Golden Years, a writer of poems and short stories that were good enough to be published, yet she kept them only for family and friends to enjoy and relish. Marie also had exquisite penmanship and wrote thoughtful cards and letters in her beautiful handwriting to family and friends on birthdays, holidays or whenever someone needed encouragement or cheering up. Such keepsakes.

Marie was active in the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Parish for almost 30 years as a member of the Woman's Guild, Parish Secretary and even taught Sunday School for a few years in the late Sixties and into the early Seventies.

Her strong Catholic Christian values never waned during her long and blessed life, and her love for God and humanity was obvious for anyone who knew and loved her because she exemplified kindness and compassion for people and all of God's creatures great and small, from elephants and tigers to horses and donkeys. Marie was also a dog lover of which she had four during her life along with several cats. In her later Golden Years, she was actively involved in a number of animal and Native American charities right up to the end of her life.

She was truly dedicated to her family, her Church, her Community, and to her Country. In her words, "We are truly One Nation under God".

Marie was predeceased by her parents, Frank and Philomena (Fannie) Brignoli, her husband, George, daughter Suzanne Marie, her sister Josephine, brothers John, Frank, Mike & Robert Brignoli. She is survived by her four sons, George Jr, Thomas, Martin, and James, her daughter-in-law Karen, her grandchildren David Whitten, his wife Cindy and their two sons, Ryan and Declan. Also Lindsey Zulferino, her husband Frank and their baby daughter Alice, whom she was blessed to meet this past February. Marie is also survived by her Godchildren Ryan, Lindsey and Ashley Abbott, Gerrie Smith and Dawn Marie Brignoli. Marie was always kind, loving and caring to all that came into her life and will be so missed by all that knew and loved her during her long and Blessed life.

God Bless you, Marie/Mom, on your final journey home and God Bless America, her home here on Earth. She truly lived a long and wonderful life.

The family requests that donations be made to the ASPCA in lieu of flowers.

After services this week for Marie in Florida, Marie will then be flown up to New York for a final Wake Service at Jacobsen Funeral Home in Huntington Station, New York on Sunday, April 23, 2023 from 2 to 5pm with interment at Holy Rood Catholic Cemetery in Westbury, New York, on the morning of April 24, 2023 on what was to be on her 96th birthday.