Obituary of Phyllis K. Marangelo

Florham Park – Phyllis Joan Kopp Marangelo passed away at the age of 84 on April 17, 2020 after a brief battle with the COVID-19 virus. 

She was born Nov. 6th, 1935 in Manhattan, NY to Arthur and Ernestine Kopp, and grew up in Engelwood, NJ.

Her father passed away in a tragic accident when she was 3, leaving her mother and grandmother to raise Phyllis and her younger brother, Roland.  With a strong family sense of “can do” and a love for the outdoors, she spent many of her childhood summers camping with her family on Saranac Lake.

Phyllis graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and spent a few years as a teacher. She later discovered her interest in writing and editing, and worked as a copy editor for Popular Club Plan, where she met her future husband, John Arthur Marangelo.

Phyllis and John married on February 11, 1962, moved to River Vale, NJ, and gave birth to her sons, Paul and Glenn. The outdoors was an important part of Phyllis’ life, with favorite family vacations of camping in upstate New York; exploring the ocean, bay, and sand dunes of Cape Cod; and absorbing the beauty of Green Pond, NJ, where her mother retired. 

Phyllis utilized her writing and editing skills with positions with Teledyne Isotopes and Sony. In her spare time and upon retirement, she happily compiled newsletters for a variety of ventures, ranging from the PTA to the retirement community in Rockaway NJ, where she and John moved in 2001.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brother (Roland Kopp), brother-in-law (Len Van Gurp), and nephew (Howard Van Gurp).

She is survived by her loving husband of 58 years, John; her sons Paul Marangelo of Montpelier, VT and Glenn (and daughter-in-law Jen) Marangelo of Missoula, MT; her sister-in-law (Karen Kopp), nephew Eric Kopp, niece Laurie Kopp; her sister-in-law Lucy Van Gurp and her fournephews Claude, Mark, Karl, and Philip.

Memorial donations to the Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium, PO Box 8885, Missoula, MT 59807 are welcome.

Because of the worldwide pandemic, a private interment / celebration of life honoring Phyllis will take place at a future date.