Muriel R. Meroni

Muriel Reilly Meroni, 94, died Sunday, March 8, 2020, surrounded by loving family who shared her journey until God called her home.  At the time of her death, Muriel resided in Gordonsville, Virginia. She had previously made her home in Haworth and Edgewater, New Jersey.

She leaves to cherish her memory her devoted children, Mary Jane Schoen and husband, Chuck, Paul Meroni and wife, Denise, Peter Meroni and wife, Kathy, Thomas Meroni and husband, Patrick DeGrouchy.  Also surviving are her grandchildren, Caroline Schoen, Jennifer Sisk and husband, Brandon, Brendan Schoen, Maria Schoen, and Patrick Schoen, Elizabeth Klie, Susan Quinn and husband, Jack, Alice Rice and husband, Collier, Rita Meroni, Emiliana Meroni and fiancé, Michael Hennelly, and Damian Meroni and wife, Taylor, Jason Meroni, Catherine Jones and Nicholas Jones; eleven great-grandchildren count her among those they love and remember with fondness.

She was predeceased by her daughters, Catherine Klie and Elizabeth Jones; her grandson, Stephen Klie; and her sister, Patricia R. Hagan.

Muriel was born in Washington, D.C. on August 23, 1925, the daughter of the late William J. Reilly, Jr. and Frances M. Reilly.  She graduated from Catholic University in June 1948 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. On October 1, 1949, she married Eugene August Meroni and shared fifty happy years with her beloved Mac. After devoting some of the best years of her life to her children, she returned to the nursing profession she loved, and worked as a school nurse in the Demarest, New Jersey Public Schools. She continued her education and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Education from Jersey City State College in 1976. She retired from the Demarest Public Schools in 1999, but maintained her involvement with the health sciences by serving as a volunteer at Englewood Hospital in Englewood, New Jersey.

Muriel was a lifelong learner. She enjoyed traveling, cooking, and entertaining. Two generations of cooks learned from her and were inspired by her accomplishments in the kitchen. She was an avid reader and a graceful swimmer. And to the end of her days, she couldn’t be beaten at Trivia.

A funeral Mass in celebration of Muriel’s life will be offered at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Montville, New Jersey on Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 11:30 A.M. Interment will follow at George Washington Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Muriel’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org), to the Multiple Sclerosis Society (www.nationalmssociety.org), or to the charity of your choice.

An online guestbook is available at www.ryanfuneral.com

Ryan Funeral Home of Ruckersville, Virginia is in charge of arrangements.