Kathleen Martone

Kathleen Martone, age 88, of Riverdale, passed peacefully at home on Monday, December 13, 2019.

Kathleen was born to Salvatore “Hughy” and Estelle Massaro and raised on Summer Street in Passaic. As a young girl attending Passaic High School, Kathleen met a cute boy, Anthony “Buddy”  Martone.  They dated all throughout high school and on June 22, 1952 they were married in Mt Carmel Church in Passaic.  They honeymooned in Bermuda and lived in Passaic where they started their family and raised their three daughters until moving to Packanack Lake in Wayne. Their honeymoon in Bermuda made both Kathleen and Anthony realize that they had a common love of travel.  Through their years together they had many adventures and traveled all over the United States and to destinations all over Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Fiji Islands.

Kathleen will be remembered for her sweet-even temperament. She was loving, generous and an outstanding wife, devoted and beloved mother and grandmother. The ingredient of love cooked into her meatloaf, linguini with clam sauce, and her special zucchini sauce-a favorite family recipe- will be dearly missed. For her children’s formative years she dedicated herself to being the best mother she could be.  She was the Class Mother and member of the PTA at the Jefferson School No. 1 in Passaic for twelve years where she worked tirelessly on carnivals, bake sales and supporting the school during each of her daughters school years there.

Once her children all graduated from school she told Buddy she was bored.  He told her to go get a job and she did!  She went to Hudson City Savings Bank on Allwood Road in Clifton and was hired on the spot.  She started as a Platform Secretary and advanced to Assistant Manager.  She loved going to work and through her twenty years at the bank established friendships with co-workers and clients. In her retirement years she was a member of The Leisure Club with her six lifelong close friends and served as the treasurer.  This group of friends would do all kinds of fun activities together. She was dearly loved and truly loved her three son-in-law’s Michael, Mario and the late Walter.

Kathleen and her family would like to sincerely thank their Health Care Angels who became treasured family friends: Milena & Joe, Helen, Maria & Nicole, Sylvia, and Renata.  Their love and care gave Kathleen dignity and comfort through her autumn years and memory care transition.

She was the beloved wife of the late Anthony “Buddy” Frank Martone (d. 8/2018); loving mother of Debralyn Kathleen Terranova and her husband Michael of Wayne, Darlene Karol Moskal of Mahwah and her late husband Walter; Kimberly Ann Martone-Savvides and her husband Mario of Parrish, FL; loved sister of Joseph Massaro of Cape May and his late wife Bonna, and loving sister-in-law of Carol DeBlasi and her husband Richard of Wylie, TX; cherished grandmother of Christopher M. Terranova and his wife Lauren of Wayne, Kelly Martone Terranova and her fiancé Michael Ryan of North Arlington, Lyndsay Ryan Dodds and her husband David of Pompton Lakes, Jamie Leigh Moskal of Mahwah, Eric Anthony Moskal of Denver, CO., Alexandria Leigh Savvides of Tampa, FL, and Tyler Jay Savvides of Bradenton, FL; dearly loved great-grandmother of Madison Elisabeth Dodds of Pompton Lakes and Jayden Anthony Moskal of Mahwah.

Those inclined to make a memorial donation are asked to consider the Alzheimer’s Association.