Irene King (née Chioccarello Quazza), age 86 of Wayne, died Saturday, November 11, 2017, after a brief battle with cancer. She had owned and operated Haledon Nurseries on Valley Rd. in Wayne since 1961.

Irene resided in Haledon and graduated from Central High School with the class of 1949. After high school, she served as the deputy borough clerk and tax collector for Haledon. It was there that she met Harold Quazza, who owned the newly-founded Haledon Nurseries in Haledon. The two of them hit it off and wedding plans were soon being made. They married on October 12, 1952, at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Haledon. Truth be told, Irene not only married Harold that day, but she married Haledon Nurseries as well! The two of them worked side by side, building the business together on Norwood Street in Haledon. In 1961, they purchased a small parcel of land in Wayne and moved the business to 262 Valley Road. Their home was also on the premises, where Irene and Harold raised their two children. Carl grew up in the nursery business, while Amy chose a career in the food industry. They recall their mom being very active in their lives not just as a mom, but also as Cub Scout Den mother, and PTA member. She never missed a dance recital or baseball game. Irene was also a terrific host; being social came easy to her and she loved entertaining. The parties at Irene and Harold’s home were to be remembered! Tragically, Harold died in a car accident in 1980, leaving Irene to run the business with her son Carl.

During her fifty years in the business, Irene enjoyed special friendships with many of her colleagues and she was widely respected throughout the Nursery and Landscaping industry. In 2004, she was inducted into the NJ Nursery and Landscapers Association Hall of Fame for her industry contributions during the fifty years she was in business. She urged education within the industry, stating that the public needs to know NJNLA members are very knowledgeable and are keeping America beautiful through the use of plant material which should be very important to everyone. She was quoted as saying; “It takes more than a shovel and a pickup truck” to make a company last.

In 1983, Irene married once more to Roy King, Jr. They enjoyed traveling and visited England, the Bahamas, Christmas Island, Alaska, Montana, and many other beautiful destinations. Harbour Island, Bahamas was her hands-down favorite! Roy enjoyed fly fishing, and Irene enjoyed visiting all the spectacular places that he wanted to fish. Sadly, Roy passed in 2006. Irene was an avid bowler and was a participant in many leagues over the years. She was the Secretary and Treasurer of the “Breakfast Club” bowling league at T-Bowl II Lanes at the time of her death. She also bowled in the Senior League on Tuesdays. She recently had a hip and knee replacement and was back to bowling as quickly as she could. Knitting and needlepoint were also among her leisure activities, but she wasn’t one to sit still for very long. Irene was always on the go and she enjoyed dining at fine restaurants throughout North Jersey and New York. She loved to dance, the NY Mets, and spending time laughing with her many friends and three grandchildren.

Irene is survived by her two children; Carl Quazza and his wife Bonnie of Wayne, Amy Quazza,(and partner Walter Murawinski) of Hoboken, three grandchildren; Darrell, Adam and Dana Quazza, all of Wayne, her sister; Dolores DeWitt and her husband John of Manahawkin. In addition, she is survived by three nieces and their families. During the past eleven years, Irene was in an extremely loving relationship with Mr. Michael Corbo, her bowling and life partner.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Wayne Township Memorial First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 2004, Wayne, NJ 07474 or New Jersey Fireman's Home, 565 Lathrop Avenue, Boonton, NJ 07005 would be greatly appreciated.