Marye Heatley

Marye (Kardux) Heatley passed away peacefully in West Milford, New Jersey, on Saturday, December 20, 2025 after a long and blessed life of 97 years. 

A gifted pianist and a loving wife, she was deeply devoted to her family and her faith. While she will be dearly missed by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and friends, we can take comfort in her favorite Bible verse: “To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”

Born in Hawthorne, New Jersey, Marye graduated from Central High School, where she enjoyed playing the piano and performing as a majorette. After briefly working for the telephone company, she married William A. Heatley Jr. in 1949. Together they made their home in North Haledon and later Wayne, New Jersey, where they raised their three children. Marye cherished spending summers in Ocean Grove, delighting in days at the beach and singing in the Ocean Grove Auditorium Choir.

Music was central to Marye’s life. An accomplished pianist, she shared her gifts at church services, family gatherings, and social events. Her faith life was rooted at Sixth Reformed Church (now Living Word Reformed Church) in Paterson and later in North Haledon, where she sang in the Senior Choir and served as accompanist for the Male Chorus and Children’s Choir. Alongside her husband Bill, a soloist, she brought joy and inspiration to countless worship services and weddings. Music remained a constant throughout her life - from accompanying the church’s praise band while in her eighties, to later playing regularly at worship services in the assisted living facility where she spent her final years.

Marye was predeceased by her husband of 49 years, William A. Heatley Jr., in 1998. She is survived by her three children: William P. Heatley of Ocean Grove, New Jersey; Jane P. Sherwood and her husband, Jonathan, of Andover, New Jersey; and Donald A. Heatley and his wife, Pamela, of Keyport, New Jersey; as well as five grandchildren: Veronica, Virginia, Ava, Tara, and Isaac; and three great-grandchildren: Paul, Talia, and Theodore.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society.