Mary "Casey" Bridget O'Connor

Mary Bridget "Casey" O'Connor died on Valentine's Day at the Harmony Village Memory Center in Paramus.

Casey was 87 years young and lived a full and fruitful life.

She married Thomas J. O'Connor in 1956 and had six children- Thomas O’Connor (Alice), Kathleen O’Connor (Brad McAdam), Siobhan Pesciotta (Michael), Brigid O’Connor (Ted McHugh), Timothy O’Connor (Timothy Priano), and Kieran O’Connor (Lisa Ehlbeck). She had 11 grandchildren Mary-Breen, Michael, Bradley Jr (Danielle), Nolan, Rebecca, Casey, Victoria, Timothy, Jack, and Kieran, and two great-grandchildren, Grace and Brody. Casey was born in the Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem to Mary nee Breen and Timothy Casey. She had one brother Michael and two sisters, Eileen and Bridget, all predeceased.

In 1962 Casey and Tom moved to Spotswood, New Jersey, with three children, where they had three more. Casey was a stay-at-home mom until 1971. At which point, Casey began pursuing her dream of earning a college degree when her youngest child started kindergarten. She got her Driver's License and went to college.

Casey was a true believer in the power of education. She attended St. Michael's High School in Manhattan, paying the tuition herself with a job her sister Eileen got for her. She continued to support the school throughout her life. This experience shaped her views on the importance of education and being independent. In 1971, at 36, Casey began attending Middlesex County College, where she earned her Associate's degree. She then pursued her Bachelor's degree at Douglass College. At Douglass, Casey found her career and herself. She always credited Douglass for shaping her view of the world and wore her Douglass ring proudly every day. Casey graduated from Douglass in 1976 as a Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Early Childhood Education and Sociology. She then attended the Rutgers Graduate School of Social Work, earning her MSW in 1978.

Casey spent her entire career helping others. Her first job was as the Welfare Director for Spotswood, N.J., where she started the Senior Citizens program, which included obtaining a bus through a state grant to provide transportation for the seniors. She then went on to the Visiting Homemakers of Ocean County, where she started one of the first Day Care centers servicing people with Alzheimer's in the state of New Jersey. Ultimately Casey became the Head of the N.J. Adult and Senior Services team for the State of New Jersey specializing in Alzheimer's Disease.

Casey was Roman Catholic and a member of the Immaculate Conception Church community in Spotswood, New Jersey, and St James Church Community in Jamesburg, N.J., where she became a Eucharist Minister. On Sundays, Casey would visit local nursing homes to give Communion.

Casey was generous with her love, and others returned that love tenfold. She was a great listener and provided excellent advice. She would comfort and counsel people and make everyone feel that they mattered and could achieve whatever their dreams were.

Casey loved spending time with her family, traveling extensively worldwide, and always a good Manhattan while listening to the Velvet Fog.