Obituary of Carole E. Greeley

Carole Eileen Greeley (née Palle) of Morris Township passed away peacefully at home on Friday, April 4, 2025, surrounded by her loving family.  She was 81. 

Born in Newark on April 21, 1943 to the late William and Eleanor Palle, Carole grew up in South Orange alongside her brother Bill.  She attended Our Lady of Sorrows School, graduated from Archbishop Walsh Academy, and continued her studies at Rosemont College.  

In 1964, Carole married the great love of her life, Bill Greeley, and together they settled in Maplewood to raise the three daughters who soon followed.  Their deep devotion to each other and their family shone through in everything they did.  Carole quickly became an active member of the community, contributing her time and energy to the PTA, the Brownies, the Maplewood Garden Club, and other local groups.

A natural hostess and talented entertainer, Carole was known for the beautiful, joy-filled dinner parties and holiday gatherings she created to bring family and friends together.  It was no surprise when she and her mother turned that passion into a successful catering business.  Later, as her daughters grew older, she began a second career in accounting, ultimately becoming the controller at the Forest Hills Country Club—a role she approached with the same intelligence, dedication, and enthusiasm she brought to everything she did.  But above all, Carole treasured her role as wife, mother, and grandmother and loved her family deeply, enthusiastically following all of their various activities and interests.

Among her many hobbies, Carole had a deep love of games and was a fierce and joyful competitor.  She was lightning-fast at Bananagrams, crushed everyone at double solitaire, and adored playing rounds of cards with her beloved weekly canasta groupwhich she played with right up to this month.  Her grandchildren will forever remember the many hours spent in laughter over cards and board games at Grammy’s.  She was also a very avid gardener (she grew the most stunning tree peony) and crafter—sewing beautiful Halloween costumes and clothes, and creating treasures for her family with crochet, needlepoint, ceramics, and stenciling.  

Carole will be dearly missed by her daughters: Kristen Schlim and her husband Joseph, Lauren Hagerstrom and her husband Tom, and Carolyn Greeley and her husband Richard Carolan.  She is also survived by her eight cherished grandchildren—Kendall, Jamie, Camryn, Drew, Claire, William, Tripp, and Alexy; her brother William Palle and his wife Marilyn; her sisters-in-law Judy French and Peg Greeley; and many loving nieces, nephews, and dear friends.  She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, William Greeley, her parents, and her precious granddaughter, Elisabeth.  

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday April 12, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Vincent Martyr Church, 26 Green Village Road, Madison. Interment will follow at St. Vincent’s Cemetery, Madison.  There will be a reception afterwards.  There will be a visitation also on Saturday at Madison Memorial Home, 159 Main Street, Madison from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., open to all.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Carole’s name to Cure Alzheimer’s Fund would be appreciated.