Maple Medford Searles

Maple Searles (nee Medford), 90, of Wayne, NJ died peacefully on Monday, January 10, 2022. Maple came from humble beginnings -- growing up in a small two-room house with her seven siblings in the Mt. Moritz community on the Caribbean island of Grenada. With her characteristic will and determination, she came to the United States in 1951 to begin a new life with her husband, the late Rev. Clarence Searles (1931-2007), first settling in Brooklyn, NY before later moving to Packanack Lake in Wayne, NJ in 1970.

Maple was a lover of many things -- her family, this country, politics, the New York Mets and Jets, and an authentic New Jersey pizza. And she would swear to the death that New Jersey tomatoes and corn are the best in the world! Her laugh was infectious and would fill a room, while her sharp wit would keep everyone on their toes. More recently, one of her goals in life was to live to 90, a goal she was able to reach with the same will and determination that brought her to this country 70 years ago, establishing her family here for generations to come.

Maple is survived by her brother Edwin, her children Linda and Steven, her four grandchildren Jason, Matthew, Ryan and Douglas, and her two great-grandchildren Rylan and Paisley, as well as many other beloved members of her large family.