Mary B. Hughes Obituary

Mary Bland Hughes, 94, of West Orange, NJ passed away of natural causes on October 24, 2023 in Ocean Township, NJ.

Born in Montrath, Ireland, Mary emigrated to the United States at age 17, quickly establishing herself as the first woman to work in Loans & Surrenders at Prudential Life Insurance and earning lifelong friendships. She and Edward Hughes, her loving husband of 57 years, raised six children living first in Newark, NJ and then West Orange. After raising her children, she went on to work at Macy's for over a decade. Next to family, Mary most loved to travel, experiencing new places and cultures; she is estimated to have seen half the world with her husband. She maintained an extensive and beautiful garden, and with her husband shared a love of renovating and updating her West Orange home. Mary was a devoted parishioner and Eucharistic Minister at St. Joseph's Church. In retirement she remained busy volunteering with a number of groups, including Reeves-Reed Arboretum, the Rosary Altar Society, St. Barnabas Hospital, and as Treasurer of The Women's Club of West Orange. She and her "Lunch Bunch" of friends met monthly for many years.

Mary is predeceased by her husband Edward; her sisters Margaret and Betty; and her brothers Bernard, James, and Joseph. Mary is survived by her sister Sheila, and her brothers Donal and Alec; her own six children: Colleen (Phillip) Pisciotti, Edward (Colleen Codey), Kieran (Jeannine), Cory (Robyn), Barry (Lisa), and Brian (Ashley); as well as eight grandchildren: James, Lauren, Aidan, Kelly, Connor, Shaun, Jacob, and Elle. From her we all learned to respect others, embrace difference, do good in the world, and never take oneself too seriously. She will be deeply missed.

Services will take place on Saturday, October 28, 2023; the wake at 9:30am at St. Joseph's Church (44 Benvenue Avenue, West Orange), immediately followed by funeral Mass at 11:00am. Interment will be at Gate of Heaven Mausoleum in East Hanover. Repast to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org). Arrangements are in the care of Codey Funeral Home of Caldwell.