Obituary of Maureen Theresa Conway

Maureen T. Conway Maureen T. Conway of Freehold, NJ, died on February 9, 2023. Born in Brooklyn, NY on January 28, 1938, she was the second of four children born to Jack O’Toole and Theresa Gollogly O’Toole. The family grew up in an apartment on Tenth Street in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn and Maureen graduated from Bay Ridge High School in 1956. Upon graduation, Maureen went to work for the New York Telephone Company as a filing clerk in the legal department, rising through the ranks to the firm’s business office until 1963, when she left to raise her family. Maureen married the late Michael J. Conway on April 28, 1962. Early on in their marriage, Maureen and Michael lived in the Bronx, where four of their five children were born. In 1970, Maureen and Michael moved to Freehold, where they added a fifth child to the brood, raised their children and ultimately lived for 52 years. Maureen was a member of St. Rose of Lima parish; later, she became a communicant at St. Robert Bellarmine, also in Freehold. Maureen and Michael were married 60 years. Blessed with extraordinary energy, Maureen kept a meticulous house, was incredibly supportive of her childrens’ schoolwork and made home cooked meals virtually every night of the week. Maureen was resourceful, thrifty and encouraged each of her children to participate in extracurricular activities and obtain part time jobs after school and ensured they were successful. She consistently emphasized hard work and the importance of education. Maureen was also responsible for a significant part of her husband Michael’s professional success; she was a tireless supporter of his, rising very early to make him coffee and breakfast before his daily commute to Manhattan, all the while independently managing her very busy household. During holiday dinner dances hosted by Michael’s employer, Maureen was known to stitch up an elegant evening gown for herself on a Singer sewing machine purchased in her early married years. Years later, with her children grown up, Maureen took up her second career with Greater Media’s News Transcript in the Freehold, Marlboro and New Brunswick offices. She enjoyed her years at the newspaper immensely and quickly became a valued contributor and a favorite among her peers. She retired in 2002 and that allowed Maureen to spend more time with her husband, Michael, in their vacation home in Hague, NY, on beautiful Lake George. In addition to her husband, Michael, Maureen was predeceased by her brothers Jack O’Toole and Kevin O’Toole. She is survived by her sister, Eileen Koeppel, Wilmington, NC and her sister-in-law, Marlene O’Toole, Freehold. Maureen is also survived by her five children and their spouses, Sheila and Ben Stanziale, Maryellen and Jack Picciuto, Steve and Terry Conway, Joan and Bob Gosselin, Mike and Chaney Conway and 10 grandchildren – Ben, Claire, Kelsey, Corey, Sean, Timmy, Colleen, Patrick, Jayden and Riley. Visitation will be held at Higgins Memorial Home, Freehold on February 14, from 3 to 6 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on February 15 at St. Rose of Lima Church, 16 McLean Street, Freehold. Interment will follow in St. Rose of Lima Cemetery, 299 Freehold-Englishtown Road, Freehold. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund (www.johnnymac.org) would be appreciated.