Aileen Hagen

Aileen Hagen (nee McDermott), age 92, of Wayne passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 26, 2021 while receiving the loving care of her family.

Aileen was born and raised in Bay Ridge, NY and was the only child to Charles and Anna McDermott.  She attended Bay Ridge High School in New York and graduated with the class of 1947.  Following her graduation, Aileen found work quickly as a secretary at Crucible Steel where she was happily employed for many years.  Aileen loved going to parties and getting together with her friends as a young woman.  She spent many summers in Coney Island and was an avid roller-skater.  She roller-skated competitively winning a variety of prizes and awards throughout her young adult life.  One summer while at Coney Island, she met a handsome young man working as a lifeguard on the beach named Richard Hagen.  Dick and Aileen didn’t get along so well when they first met, however, fate took over and Aileen and Richard fell in love.  Richard and Aileen got engaged just before Dick shipped overseas with the US Navy to fight in World War II.  Dick being a Naval Pilot, took his pilot’s wings and melted them down to mold them into an engagement ring for Aileen.

Upon Dick's return from the war and after his honorable discharge, he and Aileen eloped to Maryland.  After getting married, the newlywed couple settled in Montclair, NJ and lived there for several years with Dick's family in a three family house.  While living there, they welcomed the birth of their first child, Lynn.  In 1956 Aileen and her family moved to Cedar Grove where they welcomed the birth of their second child, Richard.  After another five years or so, in 1961 the family moved to Wayne where their third child, Glenn was born, and they have been there ever since.
Soon after the birth of their first child, Aileen decided that she would devote herself to being a full time homemaker.  Aileen was a wonderfully dedicated mother to her children for many years.  Once her son Glenn started to go to school full time, Aileen had a calling to get back to the workplace.  She accepted a position as a freelance secretary for the Wayne Board of Education.  She moved from school to school in Wayne Township as a substitute secretary.  This was work that she truly loved, and she was well respected and loved by her colleagues.   Aileen treasured her career with the Wayne Board of Education until her retirement in the mid 1990’s.

In the early days after getting married, Aileen was active in women’s theatrical groups and community theatres in her area.  She was also an active member of the Calvary Lutheran Church in Verona for many years.  Aileen was an avid bowler in the local women’s and mixed leagues in her area and enjoyed traveling and cruising with her husband to destinations such as Hawaii, Cancun, and a variety of Caribbean Islands.  One of Aileen’s favorite past times was antiques.  Her home was filled with a countless number of antiques including furniture and other collectables.  Besides her love of antiques and travel, Aileen’s greatest passion was for her family.  Nothing in the world meant more to Aileen than spending time with her family.  She and her husband Richard cherished fifty five years of loving and loyal marriage together until Richard’s passing in 2006.

Aileen was a non-nonsense kind of girl who took charge of things and led the way for others.  She was wonderfully organized and had an outstanding work ethic.  She always made it a point of surrounding herself with people whom she thought were of good nature and had honorable qualities.  Throughout her life she made many lifelong friendships.  She was a truly special person who will be sorely missed by her family and friends alike.

Aileen is survived by her daughter Lynn Stikna of Lincoln Park, two sons; Richard Hagen and his wife Barbara of Clifton, and Glenn Hagen and his wife Maureen of Flanders: seven grandchildren; Amy Fitzpatrick and her husband Damian of Glenwood, Eric Stikna and his wife Aimee of Celebration, FL, Rebecca Stikna of Lincoln Park, Beth Armstrong and her husband Jaquian of Clifton, Paul Hagen and his husband Justin of Brooklyn, NY, Kerri Kelleher and her husband Steven of Middletown, and Dane Hagen of Bridgewater.  Aileen was predeceased by her husband Richard Hagen in 2006 and by her granddaughter Christine Stikna in 1976.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations to Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital would be greatly appreciated.