Shirley Mae Hoffman

HOFFMAN, Shirley Mae (McIlveen), 91, of River Edge, NJ, formerly of River Vale, NJ, passed away on Friday, February 16th, 2024. Shirley is survived by her children Wayne and his wife Carol and Robin Baron and her husband Douglas; her grandchildren Kristin Hoffman-Large and her husband Chris, Brittani Argott and her husband Paul, Ashlea Pizzarelli and her husband Rocco, Jonathan Baron & Deanna Hoffman; her great-grandchildren Hunter, Raven and Eris Brooks, Arabella, Logan & Brayden Argott and Sofia, Isla and RJ Pizzarelli. She is predeceased by her beloved husband Richard and son John.

Shirley married her high school sweetheart in February 1950. They lived in Virginia and South Carolina while Richard was in the Navy. After his service, they moved back to New Jersey to be near family & friends and they purchased their home in River Edge, where she lived and raised her family for 63 years. Shirley & Dick loved to travel and took many cruises to the Caribbean, Bermuda and as far away as Venezuela. They also visited Hawaii, California & Nevada together. After Richard’s passing, Shirley continued her love of traveling going on a Rhine Riverboat cruise with friends and would often travel to visit family & friends in Georgia, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Shirley was one of the first “stay at home Moms” in the neighborhood to get her driver’s license and go to work full-time. She started her career in banking, working for the Howard Savings bank as a teller. Over the years, the Howard Savings bank later became First Fidelity and then First Union, and finally Wells Fargo. She was promoted to Assistant Branch Manager in the 1970’s and she retired in 1999 after 35 years of service.

After retiring, she focused on family and her hobbies. She loved to read and would spend time at the local library choosing books and keeping a list of what she had read. Shirley was an extremely talented seamstress, making countless special occasion dresses, pajamas and other items for her grandchildren. She decided to expand her sewing talents by taking up quilting and became very proficient at quilting – making beautiful comforters for each of her grandchildren when they went off to college and then her great grandchildren as they came along.

In addition to her hobbies, she decided she needed something else to keep herself busy, so she went back to work in 2001 at her son’s retail store. She enjoyed answering phones, making bank deposits and even learning some computer skills. She worked there until Wayne retired in 2018. Shirley’s greatest love was her family and she loved to spend time with everyone, and her dog Riley went everywhere with her.

The family will receive guests at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Rd., Westwood, NJ on Thursday, February 22nd from 2-4 and 7-9PM. A Celebration of Shirley's life and faith will be held at the funeral home on Friday, February 23rd at 10:30AM with interment at Westwood Cemetery in Westwood, NJ to follow. Memorial contributions can be made in Shirley's name to the Alzheimer's & Dementia Association @ Alz.Org/Donate.