Kathleen McNeal

Kathleen McNeal, Age 78 of Wayne, passed away on Wednesday, October 12, 2022 in the presence of and while receiving the love of her family.

The youngest of William and Mary (Chilkowitz) Snyder’s two children, Kathleen was born in Paterson and raised in Wyckoff and Wayne. After graduating from DePaul Catholic High School with the Class of 1961, Kathleen attended Mount Aloysius College where she received her Associate Degree in Science.

Kathleen was the beloved wife of Ray McNeal who passed away in 2018 after a cherished marriage of 53 years together. They met at Holy Cross Catholic School in Wayne while in seventh grade. They started dating when they were in high school at DePaul and made their wedding promises on August 26,1965 at Our Lady of the Valley RC Church in Wayne. Kathleen and Ray remained in Wayne for the rest of their lives together.

After college and during the early years of marriage, Kathleen was employed as a secretary for a large contracting company.  There is a road in Wayne that bears her name. After having children, she ultimately left that job to become a full-time and fabulous mother and homemaker.

Kathleen and Ray enjoyed many exciting adventures together – adventures that took them all over the world. She especially loved any destination that included sun, sand, and surf. In fact, her favorite place of all was right near home at the Jersey shore. It was a place the whole family enjoyed, especially when her children and grandchildren were growing up. More recently, Kathleen enjoyed traveling with her grandchildren and daughters. Trips included a cruise on the Queen Mary with her granddaughters, Sophie and Ellie, and a Caribbean cruise with daughter Yvette, son in law James, and granddaughter, Julia.  Quiet times were frequently spent enthralled in the latest romantic or suspense novel. To Kathleen, reading was enjoyed as much as eating a fine culinary dish, and she and Ray’s penchant for a good book turned out to be contagious as all her children also became avid readers. And speaking of fine culinary dishes, Kathleen was indeed the “foodiest” of “Foodies” who loved a nice night out for a fine meal with family or friends dressed in the latest fashion picked up during one of her regular trips to the mall. Kathleen was an avid fan of football, rooting for DePaul High School, especially when her son Ryan was on the team, in addition to cheering for Notre Dame and the New York Giants.

Aside from all of Kathleen’s talents and interests, her greatest passion was for her family. She enjoyed a loving and tender marriage spiced up by her wry and unpredictable sense of humor.  She could be found peeking out of her curtains and laughing when her family, friends and strangers slipped up her treacherous driveway in winter.  The harder you fell, the harder she laughed.  She was the proudest and most doting mother and grandmother who would do anything for her children and grandchildren. And Kathleen’s love did not end with her family. She was a very giving person who generously opened her home to friends and children’s friends who were always welcome to stay whenever the need arose. She also volunteered at Holy Cross Church in Wayne as a teacher’s aide and CCD teacher. Kathleen touched the lives of many people and will be sincerely missed by everyone that knew her.  

Kathleen is survived by her two loving daughters: Yvette McNeal and husband, James Pruden, Jr. of Pompton Lakes, and Kelly McNeal of Seaside Park; her loving son, Ryan McNeal, and wife, Wana, of Wayne; four cherished granedchildren Sophie and Ellie McNeal, Julia Fusco, and Ethan McNeal, and many dear nieces and nephews In addition to her beloved husband Ray, Kathleen was predeceased by her baby girl, Christie, in 1971 and her sister, Mary Anne Drew, in 2016.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Kathleen’s name can be made to DePaul Catholic High School, 1512 Alps Rd, Wayne, NJ 07470 or the Wayne Public Library - Make checks out to Wayne Free Public Library Foundation, â„… Wayne Public Library, 461 Valley Road, Wayne, NJ  07470, Attn: Richard Pino