Maureen DeBonta

Maureen DeBonta (nee McKenna), age 80 of Pompton Lakes, NJ, died on Thursday, August 14, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. She has lived in Pompton Lakes since 1960.

Maureen grew up in Hoboken, NJ and lived there until she was fifteen years old. Her family moved to Pompton Lakes and she went on to graduate from Pompton Lakes High School with the class of 1962. It was in high school that she met Elliott DeBonta and their romance began. Maureen was quick to realize what a wonderful man Elliott was and they were married on June 27, 1964 at St. Mary’s Church. After a honeymoon to the Pocono’s, they settled into their home in town where they have lived ever since. Over their years together, Maureen and Elliott vacationed in the Catskills and enjoyed several cruises together. They had a very special and devoted marriage to one another. Sadly, Elliott passed away in 2023 and Maureen has missed him dearly ever since.

Maureen had been a devoted homemaker throughout most of their married years, raising their three children. She had also worked at Marshall Opticians, Becton Dickinson, and as a cafeteria associate with the Pompton Lakes schools, the latter of which allowed her to keep a close eye on her kids! Later in life, God blessed Maureen with grandchildren, which she referred to as “the most wonderful thing God ever gave her.” She loved each of them beyond measure and they will all miss her very much.

Maureen is survived by her three children: Kevin and his wife Dana, Patrick “Rick” and his wife Heather, and Meghan Garrett and her husband Dennis, ten grandchildren: Zachary, Ailish, Joseph, Allie, Haley, Noel, Chloe, Finnegan, Kennedy, and Collin, her brother; Robert McKenna and his wife Yvonne, and her sister-in-law; Maria McKenna, and many nieces and nephews. Maureen was predeceased by her husband, Elliott (2023), by her brothers: Kenneth McKenna (2025) and John McKenna (1994), and by her sister; Cheryl O’Leary (2015).