Marion Botbyl

Marion Botbyl (nee Downer), age 83 of Wayne, died peacefully at home on Monday, September 20, 2021. She’s lived in Wayne since 1950.

Marion was a Registered Nurse for nearly forty years. Amazingly, she started college at forty years old and graduated from Passaic County Community College with her nursing degree. She began working at the Lincoln Park Nursing Home, then at the Actors Guild Nursing Home in Englewood, NJ, where she met many celebrities. Most of her career was spent at the Milford Manor Nursing Home in West Milford, before retiring in 2014.

Marion grew up in Bloomfield and moved to Wayne when she was a young girl. As a child, her doctor diagnosed her with a condition that would eventually lead to her becoming completely blind. As a result, she attended a private school where she learned to read and write in Braille proficiently. Ultimately, her doctor’s diagnosis was proven to be wrong, and Marion never lost her vision. She graduated from Wayne High School where she was reigned Queen of the graduating class of 1956 and had the most beautiful handwriting you’ve ever seen.
 
As a teenager, Marion’s family home in Wayne was on Hamburg Turnpike, right across the street from Hinchman’s Lake. It was there, at the lake, that she met a handsome lifeguard named Howard Botbyl and romance blossomed. They were married on February 1, 1958 at St. John’s Cathedral in Paterson, followed by a honeymoon to Washington, DC. They first lived in an apartment in Midland Park before building a home in Wayne, where they settled in 1963 and have lived ever since. Marion raised her four children there, along with her beloved dogs. She was an incredible homemaker, a fantastic cook (her pierogis were legendary!), and a dedicated, loving, and protective mother. As busy as she was every day, their home was always spotlessly clean, and dinner was on the table at 5 PM sharp. Her Christmas Eve celebrations were “open door” and attended by countless numbers of people. Marion and Howard enjoyed many decades visiting their second home in the Catskills with their large family. Howard helped establish the Red Barn Hunting Club there, and Marion, along with the other wives, established it’s Ladies Auxiliary for the Club. Another tradition was their annual summer vacation to the Jersey Shore, and staying at the Albocondo Campground in Toms River, where countless fond memories were created.

Marion was an incredible person in many respects. Her children describe her as loving, dedicated, protective, caring, pretty, brave, and so much more. She was always there for them, was always supportive, and provided for their every need. Her grandchildren, whom she loved very much, will remember her much the same way.

Marion is survived by her husband of sixty-three years; Howard of Wayne, their four children; Howard and his wife Sharon of Westbrookville, NY, Cindy Kelly of Butler, NJ, Timothy and his wife Linda of Westbrookville, NY, and Christine Struble and her husband Bill of Newton, NJ, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She was predeceased by her brother Bernard Downer, and by her parents; John and Stella Downer (nee Pryll).