Mary T Garzsik

Mary Garzsik, the second youngest of ten children was born in Passaic NJ to Theresa (Bauenhuber) and Julius Pallay on October 11, 1914 in Passaic, NJ. At three months of age the family moved to New York City.

Mary’s greatest love was singing. At age thirteen she was chosen for the lead part of “Mabel” in the musical “The Pirates of Penzance” for a NYC women’s society event. As a young adult, she sang as a coloratura soprano with the NYC Catholic Choral Society and the Peoples Chorus of NYC, and performed at Carnegie Hall. She won art scholarships as a child which led her to enjoy a career in millinery as a seamstress in NYC. As a young mother, she owned and managed her own shop in Jersey City, which produced coats and wedding gowns.

Mary married concert violinist Victor Andrew Garzsik of Jersey City in 1942. They had three children, Kathleen, Marjorie and Charles and moved to Kearny, NJ. She was a full time working mother who enjoyed her position as a secretary in the engineering department and later as an Atomic Spectrograph Operator with Worthington Corporation in Harrison, NJ. She was an active member of the Sodality of Our Lady of Sorrows R. C. Church in Kearny.

Mary and Victor retired to Cape Coral FL in 1973 where they were members of St. Andrew’s R. C. Church and the Cape Coral Yacht Club. She became President of the New Jersey Club of Cape Coral, which had over 500 members.

Mary was predeceased by her beloved husband Victor, her parents Theresa and Julius Pallay and her brothers, Julius, Albert, Arthur, and Alexander, and her sisters, Sr. Emily Suzanne Pallay, Valeria Wagner, Theresa Schalow, Florence Kopp, and Anna Pallay.

She is survived by her three children, Kathleen Fitzsimmons and her husband Fred of Sparta,

Marjorie Langlinais Strohsahl of Sparta, whose husband Donald passed on November 18, and Dr. Charles Garzik of Pembroke, MA, and daughter-in-law Lauren Garzik of Scituate, MA, seven grandchildren: Brett Langlinais and his wife Wendy of Keller TX, Gabrielle Langlinais of Englewood CO, Christian Sullivan and his wife Heather of Sparta NJ, Jason Sullivan and his wife Jennifer of Maiden NC, Emily Loverin, Lesley Beldotti and her husband Brian, all of Scituate MA and Jill Garzik of Somerville, MA, plus twelve great-grandchildren: Heather, Zachary and Gavin Langlinais of Keller, TX, Henry Austin Carle of Englewood, CO, Addison, Charles and Jacob Loverin and Beatrix, Clare and Julia Beldotti of Scituate, MA, Violet Sullivan of Maiden, NC and Seth John Sullivan of Sparta NJ.

Friends and relatives may call at Goble Funeral Home, 22 Main Street, Sparta NJ on Friday, December 28 at 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 7:00-9:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Saturday, December 29 at St. Kateri Roman Catholic Church, 427 Stanhope Road, Sparta NJ 07871 at 8:00 a.m. Burial will take place immediately following Mass at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Lodi NJ.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Kateri Roman Catholic Church, 427 Stanhope Road, Sparta, NJ 07871.