Obituary of Margaret LaMarca

Margaret A. LaMarca passed away on Saturday October 7, 2023 at her home in Clearbrook, Monroe Twp.  She was 88 years old.  Margaret was a dedicated wife and mother to her family.  She was born in the Rosebank section of Staten Island.  She moved to New Jersey in 1986 and settled in Middletown.  Her recently departed husband Salvatore and Margaret then moved to the first of three retirement communities, Lions Head Woods in Lakewood, then the Gardens at Pleasants Plains in Toms River before settling in Clearbrook.  

Peggy, as she liked to be called, graduated from McKee Vocational High School on Staten Island in 1954 with a diploma in cosmetology and beauty school.  She worked for many years at Jewel's Beauty shop in Port Richmond as a beautician.  She still owned her own hair dryer, not the modern blow dryer you see today.  She then worked at Staten Island Hospital for many years in the laundry room and as a cashier at the former department chain, Cost Cutters in both Middletown and Lakewood.  

Her passions were reading, gardening and playing the penny slots in Atlantic City where she won her share of jackpots.  Peggy loved her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Even in her later years when her eyesight was gone, her eyes would light up when she heard their voices.

Margaret was predeceased by her husband of 65 years, Salvatore, her parents, James Fletcher and Margaret Reilly and her three brothers, Harold Fletcher, James Fletcher and Michael Reilly.

She is survived by her three children: Mary LaMarca of Lebanon, New Hampshire, Joseph LaMarca and his wife Joan of Englishtown and Teresa Garifalos of Spotswood, five grandchildren: Christina (Shanna), Stephen (Nicole), Nicholas, Michael and Angela, four great grandchildren: Benjamin, Everly, Lincoln and Ruby Jo and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be 4-8 pm on Tuesday October 10, 2023 and 8:45-9:15 am on Wednesday October 11, 2023 at the M. David DeMarco Funeral Home, Inc. - 205 Rhode Hall Rd., Monroe Twp., NJ  08831.  Funeral services will begin at 9:15 am on Wednesday from the funeral home.  A funeral liturgy will be 10 am at St. Thomas More RC Church - 186 Gordons Corner Rd., Manalapan, NJ  07726 followed by a private cremation.

For those who desire, memorial contributions may be made in Margaret's name to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - www.jdrf.org.