Dr. Madelyn Meier Healy, of Kearny, N.J., passed away peacefully on the morning of February 13, 2013 in Waxhaw, N.C. She was 80 years old, an inspiration to many and will be deeply missed.
Visiting will be on Sunday February 17, 2013 from 3 until 7 pm at the Armitage and Wiggins Funeral Home 596 Belgrove Drive Kearny. Family and friends may return to the funeral home on Monday morning at 9 am and Mass will begin at 10:30 am in St. Stephen's Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, N.J.
Madelyn was born October 3, 1932, in Buffalo N.Y., to Francis (Frank) Meier and Madelyn Doyle Meier, and raised in Binghamton, N.Y. She was the beloved wife of Thomas Joseph Healy, Jr. (deceased) and is survived by her children and their spouses Madelyn and Richard Cook, Sharon Ann and Gregory Meistrich, Thomas Joseph III and Maria Healy and Patrick Healy. Grandmother of Thomas Joseph Healy IV, Kristin Theresa Healy, Edward Andrew Healy, Allison Kelsey Healy, Ryan Patrick Cook and Madelyn Kelly Cook. She is also survived by her brother Frank (Jan) Meier, and her sisters Nancy Meier (Roy) Weymouth, and Marilyn Meier (John) Norton along with her sisters-in-law Nancy Healy (Walter) Borge, and Kay Healy (James) Crane, and numerous nephews and nieces.
She received her BA in Mathematics from SUNY at Albany and her MA and EdD in Counselor Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She was Acting Dean for the School of Education, Director of the Center for Professional Development, and was awarded the Ford Foundation Grant for Project LEAD (Leadership in Education about Diversity); she retired from Kean University as Professor Emerita, was active in many professional memberships, and received numerous honors including the Jersey Journal Woman of Achievement, and the Readers Digest and the Heft Scholarships which covered all expenses of her doctorate. She has many scholarly publications, including, Writing the Master's Thesis: Guidelines for Educational Research; all profits support a Kean University Counselor Education endowment which she founded.
She was active in The Arlington Woman's Club as education department chair; St. Stephen's Church as Eucharistic minister and Mater Dei Elementary school advisory board and active with The Friends of Erin; N.J. Symphony Orchestra community chorus; West Hudson Hospital Board; and Archdiocese of Newark advisory boards and scholarship committeess.
Among her passions were spending time with her grandchildren, attending the Metropolitan Opera, performing with Ars Musica, playing bridge, and many friends and experiences she encountered from her world wide travels with with her children.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the Counselor Education Department-Dr. Madelyn Healy Fund, Kean College Foundation, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, N.J. 07083; this fund was established for educational enrichment and professional development of Kean graduate students fully admitted to the Counselor Education Department.