Obituary for Mary E. Appel (McGovern)
Loving Wife, Mother, Sister, and Grandmother
Mary Elizabeth Appel, 93, of Nutley, passed away Saturday, October 21, 2023. Born in New York, New York, Mary was the daughter of the late Philip and Mary McGovern of Corlough, County Cavan, Ireland. She was raised in Bedford Hills, NY, and earned her BS in Business Administration from Good Counsel College. While in college she met her future husband, Chuck Appel, in a theatrical production at Manhatttan College in Riverdale, NY. They married in 1951, settled in Nutley, NJ in 1956 and raised seven children there. Mary earned an MA in Education from William Paterson College in 1973 and put her skills to use as director of the NJ Dept. of Education’s Northeastern Learning Resource Center. In 1976 she put her professional career on hold to be a full-time caregiver for her aging parents. In 1986 she took on the position of “Basic Skills Teacher” in the Nutley Public School system, a role she kept until her retirement in 2002. Throughout her life, Mary was an activist and volunteer, devoting many years to the League of Women Voters, St. Mary’s Parish Council, where she also served as a leader of song. She was also a member of the Newark Diocesan Deaconite and numerous other organizations. Following retirement, she devoted many hours to her children and grandchildren’s pursuits. Her sunny personality, optimism, and love for all those around her endeared her to friends and strangers alike.
Mary was predeceased by her beloved husband, the late Charles F. Appel Sr., who called her “Mary Sunshine” and who commented many times that Mary always made time to stop and smell the roses. Mary is survived by her children Charles Appel, Jr. (Erica), Phillip Appel (Eileen), Mark Appel (Audrienne), Paul Appel (Christine), Nicholas Appel (Terri), Jennifer Merritts (Gerard), and Kathryn Scandalios (Chris), sister Theresa Terry (T. Richard), sister-in-law Marianne McGovern, and fourteen grandchildren: Suzanne Appel (Ali), Jessica Appel, Justine Appel, Alison Merritts, Molly Appel, Stephen Appel, Madeline Merritts, Christopher Appel, Lucy Appel, Andrew Scandalios, Olivia Appel, Ava Scandalios, and Corinne Scandalios. She was predeceased by her baby daughter Suzanne, grandson Liam Appel, and brother Philip McGovern.
Visitation from the S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home, 267 Centre St., Nutley, on Friday, November 24, 2023, from 4 - 7pm. Funeral mass to be celebrated on Saturday, Novemeber 25th at 10:30am at St. Mary's Church, Nutley. The burial of ashes to follow at Glendale Cemetery, Bloomfield.
Mary Elizabeth Appel, 93, of Nutley, passed away Saturday, October 21, 2023. Born in New York, New York, Mary was the daughter of the late Philip and Mary McGovern of Corlough, County Cavan, Ireland. She was raised in Bedford Hills, NY, and earned her BS in Business Administration from Good Counsel College. While in college she met her future husband, Chuck Appel, in a theatrical production at Manhatttan College in Riverdale, NY. They married in 1951, settled in Nutley, NJ in 1956 and raised seven children there. Mary earned an MA in Education from William Paterson College in 1973 and put her skills to use as director of the NJ Dept. of Education’s Northeastern Learning Resource Center. In 1976 she put her professional career on hold to be a full-time caregiver for her aging parents. In 1986 she took on the position of “Basic Skills Teacher” in the Nutley Public School system, a role she kept until her retirement in 2002. Throughout her life, Mary was an activist and volunteer, devoting many years to the League of Women Voters, St. Mary’s Parish Council, where she also served as a leader of song. She was also a member of the Newark Diocesan Deaconite and numerous other organizations. Following retirement, she devoted many hours to her children and grandchildren’s pursuits. Her sunny personality, optimism, and love for all those around her endeared her to friends and strangers alike.
Mary was predeceased by her beloved husband, the late Charles F. Appel Sr., who called her “Mary Sunshine” and who commented many times that Mary always made time to stop and smell the roses. Mary is survived by her children Charles Appel, Jr. (Erica), Phillip Appel (Eileen), Mark Appel (Audrienne), Paul Appel (Christine), Nicholas Appel (Terri), Jennifer Merritts (Gerard), and Kathryn Scandalios (Chris), sister Theresa Terry (T. Richard), sister-in-law Marianne McGovern, and fourteen grandchildren: Suzanne Appel (Ali), Jessica Appel, Justine Appel, Alison Merritts, Molly Appel, Stephen Appel, Madeline Merritts, Christopher Appel, Lucy Appel, Andrew Scandalios, Olivia Appel, Ava Scandalios, and Corinne Scandalios. She was predeceased by her baby daughter Suzanne, grandson Liam Appel, and brother Philip McGovern.
Visitation from the S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home, 267 Centre St., Nutley, on Friday, November 24, 2023, from 4 - 7pm. Funeral mass to be celebrated on Saturday, Novemeber 25th at 10:30am at St. Mary's Church, Nutley. The burial of ashes to follow at Glendale Cemetery, Bloomfield.