Obituary of Kathleen M. Crilly

On Saturday, April 26, 2014, after her beloved husband of 60 years, John P. "Jack" Crilly, gave her a good morning kiss, Kathleen M. Crilly, age 86, was called home by God. Her loving family surrounded Kathleen at home when she peacefully entered the gates of Heaven. Kathleen was born on September 27, 1927 in the Bronx, NY. She was the daughter of the late Christopher and the late Catherine (Quain) Madden, who both immigrated from Limerick City, Ireland. Kathleen had one brother, the late John C. Madden, a Naval submarine engineer. Her father Christopher was a New York sea captain and her mother Catherine was a custom dressmaker who made fine children's coats. Her father passed away when she was two years old, and their mother who instilled strong Irish family values along with stressing the importance of education, raised Kathleen and her brother on Vyse Avenue, Bronx, NY. Although Kathleen and Jack had been married for 60 years when God called her home, they grew up together as young children in the Bronx. Kathleen's husband and her brother were boy-hood friends and both families were parishioners of St. John Chrysostom Church in the Bronx sharing many celebrations and also attending elementary school together at St. John's. Kathleen attended Cathedral High School, NY where she won a Latin competition, graduated with honors and also learned to speak German, French and Latin. In 1948, Kathleen graduated with honors from the College of Mount St. Vincent, Riverdale, NY with a B.A. in History. Thereafter, Kathleen received her Masters in Library Science from Columbia University, School of Library Service in 1949. Most notable, upon graduation from Columbia, Kathleen was selected as one of only twelve librarians, chosen on a nationwide basis, to receive a salaried internship on the staff of the U.S. Library of Congress. Following completion of her internship, Kathleen supported the Reference and Bibliography Department and later the Legislative Reference Service, where she worked directly with the Congress. Missing her family, in 1951, Kathleen moved back to New York and became an Associate Librarian at Fordham University, NY. Also, while at Fordham University, Kathleen was Head Librarian for the School of Education, serving both graduate and undergraduate students. In addition, during her career, Kathleen also worked at the New York Public Library. Kathleen knew that the love of her life was Jack and had such faith in God that Jack would return safely from the Korean War that she mailed their wedding invitations before he was home. On January 23, 1954, Kathleen and Jack were married by the Rev. Edwin Quain, S.J., Kathleen's cousin. After living in Mt. Vernon, NY, for a few years, Kathleen and Jack, along with Kathleen's mother, moved to Mountainside, NJ, in 1964, where they raised their three children, Mary, John and Joe. Kathleen and her family were active parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Mountainside where Kathleen was a CCD instructor and lector, but moreover, Kathleen was instrumental in bringing Renew to the parish. While residing in Mountainside, Kathleen volunteered at the school libraries, enjoyed a monthly Bridge club and sharing meals, conversation and laughter with a beloved dinner group of close friends. In 1983, Kathleen began her affiliation with the Mountainside Library as a Reference Librarian and worked diligently to develop the Library's book collection. Kathleen's joy of working with books was happily shared with many students when she helped them with term papers and school reports. Kathleen took on a significant leadership role with the Library in 1988 when she became Assistant Director and then as Acting Director in 1990. Although retiring from the Mountainside Library in 1992, Kathleen returned to serve the Mountainside Library as a Trustee for the next eleven years in the role of Secretary and later as Vice President where she brought intelligent ideas and thoughtful guidance to the Library Board. Enjoying retirement, Kathleen and Jack moved to Whitehouse Station (ReadingtonTownship), NJ, in 2003, and they joined Our Lady of Lourdes parish. Celebrating her love of Ireland, history and her family, Kathleen visited Ireland several times and researched her ancestry. Throughout her life, Kathleen enjoyed reading, sewing and history, but she loved to cook and share recipes. Katherine tirelessly volunteered throughout her life with many charities, but her favorite was to feed the homeless. God blessed Kathleen with seven cherished grandchildren who were her pride and joy. She is survived by, her daughter, Mary Iazzetta & her husband, Carmen, her sons; John C. Crilly & his wife, Dianne and Joseph F. Crilly & his wife, Michelle, her cherished grandchildren; Christopher, Kate, Jack, Maura, Tara, Joey and Sean, her sister-in-law, Eileen Madden and many loved nieces & nephews. She was pre-deceased by her brother, John C. Madden in 2013. Kathleen's Life Celebration will include visitation on Wednesday, April 30th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and on Thursday, May 1st from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Martin Funeral Home, 1761 Route 31, Clinton, NJ. There will be a funeral mass on Friday, May 2nd at 10:00 am at Immaculate Conception RC Church, 316 Old Allerton Road, Annandale, NJ 08809 - #908-735-7319. Family & friends are invited to meet directly at the Church on Friday morning. The interment will immediately follow the funeral mass at the Immaculate Conception Cemetery on the Church grounds. For memorial donations, please consider: Life Choices, 411 South Main Street, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865.