Theresa Donnelly

Theresa Donnelly (nee Whalen), age 90 of Wayne, died peacefully on Tuesday, March 9, 2021. She was holding her son’s hand as she quietly slipped into the hands of the Lord.

Theresa was born in Lombard, Illinois and her family moved to Rutherford, NJ when she was just four years old. She graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Rutherford, and then went on to nursing school at St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic.  She graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1951 and continued to work at St. Mary’s Hospital. After moving to Wayne in 1952, she worked at Alps Manor Nursing Home and then finished the final twenty years of her career at the Pediatric office of Dr. Cole, Dr. Topchik, and Edelstein at their practice in Wayne. Pediatrics

In 1951, Theresa was invited to a party on Long Island. It was here that she met Gerard Donnelly and they hit it off. Jerry was interested in meeting her again, so he sent a telegram to her home, which read “Meet me under the clock at the Biltmore Hotel.” Theresa was intrigued and boarded a bus for New York City. The rest is history and they were married on June 21, 1952, moving to Wayne thereafter. Their first home in the Preakness section of Wayne had no telephone service.  In fact, none of the homes in their neighborhood had phone service, so her husband had to compel the phone company to install a payphone in their front yard when Theresa was expecting their first child! Jerry would often come home from work to find the neighbors lined up to use the payphone! As their family grew, they moved to Packanack Lake to raise their four sons. Jerry and Theresa went on to enjoy fifty-three years of marriage before Jerry passed away in 2005. During those years, they were devoted to their Catholic faith and were proud to be founding members of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Packanack Lake. Theresa attended mass daily, served as a Lector, and tended to the altar cloth and vestments, which she ironed to perfection. She was a personable, outgoing woman with many friends in their community and she will be missed dearly by her large, loving family.

Theresa is survived by her four sons; Tom Donnelly and his wife Gerry of Yorba Linda, CA, Rod Donnelly and his wife Alice of Wayne, Brian Donnelly and his wife Stacie of Dacula, GA, and Mark Donnelly of Perth Amboy, NJ, ten grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren, two sisters; Mary Sullivan and Leila Rieman, and a brother; Thomas Whalen. She was predeceased by her husband Gerard in 2005.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Eva’s Village, 393 Main Street, Paterson, NJ 07501.