Obituary of Mary Lou O'Neill

Mary Lou O'Neill (Korb) of Green Pond, NJ, passed away on August 15, 2016, at the age of 81. Born and raised in Teaneck, Mary Lou spent her summers in Green Pond for most of her life before moving there year-round in 1970. Mary Lou graduated from Teaneck High School in 1952. She attended Trenton State College and Wheelock College in Boston to study elementary education. As a young woman, she enjoyed being a mother and housewife. She began substitute teaching part-time and worked for Julius Schmidt Co., formerly of West Paterson, before she took a job as office manager for the Morristown law firm Krauser and Welsh, where she stayed for many years. Her final professional position was as office manager for R.G. Maupai Co. Inc. in Oakland. She then worked as a caregiver to local families. Mary Lou was the most devoted wife, mother, and grandmother and a loving, generous friend, caring for her neighbors who were sick or in need and brightening the world with her warm smile. She was a devout Catholic and active member of the St. Simon the Apostle parish, and she enjoyed volunteering for the Reach to Recovery program. Nothing made her happier than dancing to Big Band music with her husband, William P. O'Neill, who passed away in 2007, or spending an afternoon surrounded by her family and friends. She continually defied medical odds, overcoming breast cancer and multiple heart surgeries—the living embodiment of the fighting Irish spirit. She was truly "Mom" and "Grammy" to all who passed under her roof and lived each day to its very fullest. Mary Lou is survived by her sisters, Janice Nelson of Carmel, NY, and Kathleen McGarry of Morris, CT; her children, Conni Keller of Emmaus, PA; Susan Scripture of Pineville, NC; Jeanne Maupai of Green Pond; Douglas Smyth of Peterborough, NH; Linda DeVries of Kinnelon; and Mary Lou Smyth of Kandern, Germany; her grandchildren Danielle Cantor, Jacqueline Trimmer, Jessica Scripture, Maggie Mark, Ethan Scripture, Emily Maupai, Kate Travers, Julie DeVries, Rachel Scripture, Erin Smyth, Lianna DeVries, David DeVries, and Thomas Keller; her great-grandchildren William W. Trimmer, Jack Cantor, Evelyn Trimmer, and Addison Scripture; and many other loving family members. She is also predeceased by her sister Eileen Korb and her parents, Louis and Evelyn Korb. Friends and family are welcome to gather on Friday, August 19, 2016, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Norman Dean Home for Services in Denville. A memorial Mass will follow on Saturday, August 20, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Simon the Apostle Church in Green Pond.