Obituary of Mary E. Alfare

Mary E. Alfare, 83, of Roosevelt, passed away on Sunday, January 22, 2023 at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold.

Born and raised in the Bronx, NY, Mary was a graduate of Hackensack High School, Class of ’57, where she was involved with theater productions. Following graduation, she attended Holy Name Hospital School of Nursing where she became a Registered Nurse. She moved to Denver where she worked as a visiting nurse. She came back to the east coast and for several years she was employed with the Hackensack and Columbia University Hospitals, where she worked in the psychiatric unit. She later moved to East Windsor and then to Roosevelt where she served as a Home Health Nurse for many years before she took a hiatus to raise her daughter, Katie. Mary also worked at Mercer County Community College and set up non-credit courses in the Health Professions. Throughout her life, Mary was very generous with her time and her skills. For many years, she volunteered for the Roosevelt Rescue Squad as well as the Roosevelt Public School where she served as an aid and advocate for the school children. 

Mary was very principled and devoted much time working in support of several political campaigns, especially on the local level. She was a wonderful free spirit and loved to travel and meet new people.  Though she loved sharing memories from all her adventures, her favorite trip was with her husband traveling the Italian countryside. Mary also loved music and spent much of her time singing. In her spare time, Mary loved to cook, knit, and crochet. She was famous for her delicious homemade jams made with fruit picked by her husband (much of it grown in their backyard!). She also cherished being “Nonni” to her grandchildren.

Predeceased by her parents, Austin and Rita (Moore) Healy, her brother, Greg Healy and her nephew, Michael Luckow; she is survived by her loving husband of 49 years, Carlo U. Alfare of Roosevelt; her daughter and son-in-law Kathleen “Katie” Alfare Garber and Jon of De Pere, WI; her three grandchildren, Nathan, Evelyn and Benjamin Garber of De Pere, WI; her two sisters, Cathy Healy of Paramus and Janet Luckow and her husband, Michael, of Paramus; her cousin, Margaret Moore of Paramus; her four brothers and sisters-in-law, William and Beverly Healy of Cooksville, TN, Joseph and Linda Healy of Reno, NV, Daniel and Karin Healy of Lyman, SC and Austin and Lee Healy of Greensboro, NC; her four nieces, Lisa Clark of Ridgewood, Dawn and Shawn Healy of Gibsonville, NC, and Missy Frost of Lyman, SC; her three nephews, Thomas Healy of Boerne, TX, Daniel Healy of Roebuck, SC and Michael Alfare and his wife, Vanessa Reyes of Richmond VA; and her many additional loving family members and friends.

Funeral services will begin on Friday, January 27, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. at Simplicity Funeral and Cremation Services at Glackin Chapel, 136 Morrison Ave., Hightstown, NJ. 

Interment will follow at Roosevelt Cemetery in Roosevelt, NJ.

Visitation for family and friends will be held on Thursday, January 26, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. followed by Words of Remembrance beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Simplicity Funeral and Cremation Services at Glackin Chapel, 136 Morrison Ave., Hightstown, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Mary’s memory to the American Heart Association by visiting In Memory Of at inmemof.org.