Frances Joan Mahoney, 94

December 19, 2015

Frances Joan Mahoney, 94, of Lopatcong, N.J., a native Staten Islander whose unconditional love of family made her the quintessential matriarch, died Dec. 19 in Lancaster Regional Hospital, Lancaster, Pa.
Born Frances Raisch on Feb. 21, 1921 in West Brighton, Mrs. Mahoney worked for the family business, American Weighing Corp. in Manhattan, after graduating from Curtis High School.
She met her husband, Thomas J. Mahoney, when they were members of the Melius Club at Sacred Heart parish in West Brighton. Height-wise, they seemed an unlikely pair. She was petite at just under 5 feet; he was a lanky 6 feet 4 inches.
After their marriage on Sept. 18, 1948, the couple settled in Westerleigh. They lived in Maplewood, N.J., from 1957 to 1975 when they moved to Lebanon Township, N.J.
In 1978, the family moved to Los Angeles to accommodate Mr. Mahoney’s acting career. After his death in 1982, Mrs. Mahoney returned to Lebanon Township. She settled in Lopatcong five years ago.
She volunteered in the thrift shop run by the Maplewood (N.J.) Service League, and was proud to be the oldest volunteer at the annual Morrow Memorial Methodist Church rummage sale, also Maplewood.
She had a passion for reading romance novels and mysteries, and for completing crossword puzzles.
“But her real joy was her family,” said her daughter, Frances Mahoney.
“She put everyone else before herself,” said her son, Brian Mahoney. “It was just her nature.”
Mrs. Mahoney never turned down an opportunity to spend time with her family, even if it required a little courage and a lot of spunk. In September, when her family went kayaking at the Merrill Creek Reservoir in Washington, N.J., she donned a life vest and sat right up front.
She made sure her seven children, 17 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren got together regularly.
“Always make the effort” to stay close to family was her mantra, her sons and daughters recalled.
She was spending time with family and on the way to a holiday concert when she fell ill in Lancaster a week before Christmas.
In addition to her daughter, Frances, and son, Brian, she is survived by sons Douglas and Mark and daughters Leslie Mahoney and Claire Shadood. A son, Paul, died on Nov. 16.
A memorial mass will take place on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 10 AM in St. Mary’s R.C. Church, Alpha, N.J.
In lieu of flowers a donation to the Ronald McDonald House http://www.philarmh.org/ is appreciated