Mary E. Cleary

Born in the Bronx, NY, to John and Florence Quinn, Mary grew up spending summers at Tonetta Lake in Brewster, NY. Her Godfather was Malcolm Wilson, former Governor of New York. She met her husband, Donald Cleary, in high school and went on to attend Misericordia Nursing School in the Bronx.

Mary and Don married in 1959 and moved to Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, where their first son was born. They returned to the Bronx in 1962, where they welcomed three more children.

A move to the suburbs in the 1970s brought Mary and her family to Emerson, NJ, where they lived for 32 years. In 2006, they retired to Smithville, NJ, where they dominated the bocce league and Wii bowling tournaments.

Mary and her husband spent the last few years in Tinton Falls, NJ, where they remained active and social. She achieved her lifelong dream of visiting all 50 U.S. states, played mahjong for over 40 years, loved puzzles, Tito's and Wednesday night bingo.

In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her son, Michael, in 2001.

Mary is survived by her husband, Don, of 67 years; her children, Anne of Hoboken, NJ, Richard of Cliffwood, NJ, and Ellen Hall (Russell) of Suwanee, GA; four grandchildren, Julia of Brooklyn, NY, and Shannon, Kelly, and Ryan of Georgia; and her sister, Anne Suleski of Mahwah, NJ.

A visitation will be held on Monday, October 12, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Becker Funeral Home in Westwood, NJ. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at The Church of The Assumption in Emerson, NJ, on Tuesday, October 13, at 10:30 a.m. followed by an interment at Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.