Lucy Ann Marro

Lucy Ann Marro (formerly Martello), 93, of Wayne, New Jersey passed away peacefully on June 1, 2021.   She will be remembered as a devoted and loving mother, grandmother and friend to all who were fortunate to know her.  She will be missed by so many.  Lucy was born in 1927 and raised on the East Side of Upper Manhattan along the East River.  She lived with her entire family in a large brownstone and shared many stories of her childhood there.  She was one of eight children born to Aniello and Fannie Marro (Ciullo). Lucy loved the East River and told a story of how she got scolded for swimming in it with her two older brothers.  Lucy attended and graduated from Cathedral High School.  She met her husband John Martello and was married in 1950.  Lucy and John moved to Clifton, NJ with their young children Frances and Phyllis. They relocated so that John could be close to his company where he worked as a commercial artist. They then moved to Hemlock Street in Clifton where they became parents to four more daughters: Janis, Louise, Teresa and MaryAnn. After the last child was born they needed a larger home and moved to Mt. Prospect Avenue in the Allwood section of Clifton.  There, Lucy remained until she moved in 1984.   She lived in Passaic Park and Oakridge NJ with her daughter Janis and eventually settled in Wayne where she remained until the end of her life. Lucy was devoted to her large extended family of brothers and sisters, and had large family gatherings on Sundays and the holidays.  She had many close friends and was active in her church community at St Andrews the Apostle Church.  

In 1967 John and Lucy’s youngest daughter, MaryAnn, was tragically brain injured at the age of 10 1/2 Months.  For the next seven years the family cared for MaryAnn at home.   Lucy and John did everything they could to keep MaryAnn at home where she received loving care.  Lucy oversaw a “Patterning” program in which volunteers came to the home to do physical therapy on MaryAnn to improve her condition.  It is here where the family received and befriended many wonderful volunteers.  In 1972, when a wonderful new facility opened, Maryann became one of the first residents of Eastern Christian Children’s Retreat in Wyckoff, New Jersey.  The family was so blessed to have MaryAnn receive the exceptional Christian care and love that they offered her. The family will forever be grateful to them for the peace of mind they experienced because of this. E.C.C.R became Lucy’s second home.

Lucy and John spent the remainder of their lives devoted to their daughter MaryAnn.  Lucy was one of the earliest volunteers at ECCR.  Besides spending much time with MaryAnn she enjoyed helping to do the facilities laundry, one of her talents, with MaryAnn by her side.  She was always greeted warmly by all of the staff who were inspired by her dedication and love as well as her strength and example. MaryAnn predeceased Lucy on February 6, 2021.  

Lucy inspired so many by her independence, intelligence, perseverance, convictions and way of life.  She had many talents including quilting, sewing, crafting, writing and especially cooking. She always enjoyed her excursions to NYC and saw many plays and movies at the Times Square Theaters. Lucy was passionate about her health and became a vegan in her early sixties, which contributed to her longevity. She was disciplined with her diet and spent hours preparing food into her 90’s.   She loved small gatherings and entertaining family and friends with a healthy lunch prepared with love and served meticulously as in a gourmet restaurant.  Her salads were famous.

Lucy was a life-long learner and spent much of her later years studying ancient history and especially colonial history and the founders of our country who inspired her. She especially admired George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John and Abigale Adams, Jimmy Carter and Barak Obama.  She sometimes reread a book several times, taking notes to study and share the knowledge.  Lucy would say “Live like you are going to die tomorrow and learn like you are going to live forever”.  She was especially proud of her role portraying George Washington in a play in grammar school which sparked her interest and fascination with him.  Her favorite quote of his was “Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages”.  She lived by this belief through the pandemic to remain hopeful.  

Lucy was concerned about protecting the Earth and its ecology and did not waste a thing.  She recycled everything and found a new use for them.  She was very proud of this and shared her ideas.  She was frugal, organized and impeccable with this practice.  She found joy in her last years by keeping organized and living simply.

Most of all Lucy was devoted to the well-being of her daughters. She lived by example to them and found ways to show her love through encouragement, acceptance, patience and great food.  She was famous for her stuffed calamari, applesauce cake, blueberry buckle and the best salads. She said before she passed, “Love is what you do.” Lucy took the best care of herself as not to be a burden on her family. She always did what was best for her daughters. She gave her daughters memorable summer vacations in Long Beach Island, camping on Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Each daughter received a beautiful quilt as a last expression of her love.  She was respected and admired by her daughters who were very grateful for everything she did to create a happy childhood.

Lucy was treasured by her three grandchildren: Dylan, Brian and Chelsea who called her Lu Lu.  She inspired them by her example, her wisdom and love through their many interesting conversations.  She is the Great Grandmother to Stella Luna age 2 and Joseph Anthony, age 3 months.

Monetary Donations in Lucy’s’ memory can be sent to Eastern Christian Children’s Retreat, 700 Mountain Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ 07481. If you would like to donate online, CLICK HERE.