Obituary of Mary M. Dirlam

Mary M. Dirlam, of Florham Park, died peacefully on Friday, February 1, 2019 at Villa Marie Claire Hospice in Saddle River, NJ. She was 81.

Mary was born in Elizabeth, NJ on May 30, 1937 to the late Charles and Katherine Matalene.  She was raised in Elizabeth and was a graduate of Benedictine Academy, before earning a degree from Berkeley Secretarial School. Mary was a natural when it came to office administration and accounting. She would further her education by studying accounting at Seton Hall University. She began her career at RCA in Clark NJ. Mary placed her career on hold to raise her family, which was a time that remained very precious to her. She resumed her career at AlliedSignal Corporation in accounts payable before moving on to the payroll department of General Chemical Company where she retired from.

Mary met her husband and best friend, Jim Dirlam, while the two were working together at the Austin Company. The couple lived in Kenilworth for several years prior to settling in Florham Park in 1969, where they would raise their beautiful family.

Mary was active in the Florham Park community. She was a lifelong member of the Florham Park/Madison Suburbanites. She was an avid bridge player, loved to travel and was a proud member of the Florham Park Seniors.

Mary was strong willed, highly organized and deeply spiritual. She was very active at St. Vincent Martyr Church, where she would become one of the first Eucharistic ministers. Her family meant everything to her, she cherished time spent with her children and grandchildren. Mary was the matriarch of the family, and loved when the entire family would come together for Sunday dinners and holidays.

Mary enjoyed life, and was grateful for what she had. She loved all the family trips to Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Mary was an avid NY Yankees fan. She loved dining out with family and friends, whether it be Spirito’s in Elizabeth or L’Allegria in Madison.

A combination of her deep and profound faith in God, support of family and friends, and a positive outlook on life in general, is what made Mary an 18-year cancer survivor. She fought a difficult battle with grace and dignity. May she rest in peace.

Mary is survived by her beloved husband of 57 years, James “Jim” A. Dirlam of Florham Park; two sons James C. Dirlam of Bound Brook (Gina) & John A. Dirlam and his wife Sheri of Florham Park; one daughter, Dianne M. Dirlam of Madison; three cherished grandchildren, Madison, Michael and Matthew, who affectionately called her “Nina”; several cousins and many dear friends.

Funeral services will begin at 9:00AM on Thursday, February 7, 2019 at Madison Memorial Home, 159 Main Street, Madison, followed by a 10:00AM Liturgy of Christian Burial celebrated at St. Vincent Martyr Church, Madison. Interment will follow at St. Vincent’s Cemetery, Madison. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend visitation to celebrate Mary’s life on Wednesday, February 6, 2019 from 2-4PM to 7-9PM at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Office of Development, 885 2nd Avenue, 7th Floor, NY,NY 10017, please write in the memo portion of check "Dr. Voss' Kidney Cancer Research Fund- In Memory of Mary Dirlam.

For further information and condolences to the family, please visit www.madisonmemorialhome.com