Evelyn Helen Girgan will be remembered for her selfless devotion to loved ones Evelyn Helen Girgan (nee, Kemp) of Kearny N.J., Palm Coast, Fla., and Mountain Lakes N.J., 93, entered eternal peace on October 13, 2021, surrounded by her loving family.
A memorial service in celebration of her life will be held on Friday, October 29, 2021, at 4:30 p.m.
at The First Presbyterian Church of Arlington, 663 Kearny Ave., Kearny. Arrangements are by
the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny.
Evie as she was known to many, will be remembered for her kindness, humor, courage in the
face of adversity and selfless devotion to loved ones.
Born in East Orange, New Jersey in 1928, Evelyn was a graduate of Clifford Scott High School.
She was voted by her classmates “Best All Around” for her down to earth personality and ability
to spread laughter.
Evelyn was a graduate of Upsala College, East Orange, New Jersey where she received her
bachelor’s degree in English and was named the “Spring Queen of 1949.” It was there that she
captured the heart of the great love of her life, a then recent WW II Navy Veteran and Captain of
the Upsala Football Team, Charles (“Charlie”) Girgan. Evie and Charlie shared a blessed and
happy marriage of 63 years, filled with many acts of kindness, and a generosity of spirit toward
all those who were fortunate to have spent time with them. The couple resided for most of their
married life in Charlies’ beloved hometown of Kearny as well as Palm Coast, Florida, where
they enjoyed the company of family and friends. >Active in golf for many years, Evie and Charlie
were long time members of Forest Hill Field Club in Bloomfield, N.J.
Evelyn was a good athlete, a hole in one golfer, and an avid reader. She cherished a
remarkable bond spanning over 90 years, with her sister Jean Beck (late Leslie Beck).
Together they shared elementary school tap lessons and dance recitals, high school field
hockey games, summers at the Jersey Shore, marriages and the birth of their respective
children and grandchildren. In recent years, the two could be found daily in Mountain Lakes,
enjoying a morning cup of coffee, reading the newspaper for sports scores of the night before,
topped off with an afternoon of casual comradery, a jigsaw puzzle, and an occasional
Manhattan.
In addition to her devoted sister, Evelyn is survived by her adoring daughters Jan Girgan and
husband Carl Picillo, Jr., Jeanne Naughton, son-in Law Michael J. Naughton as well as two
cherished grandsons, Michael Charles (Amanda nee DiMarco), and William Ellis (Midge nee
Daniel) Naughton. She is also survived by several nephews.
In honor of the family’s love of animals, donations in Evelyn’s memory made to St. Hubert’s
Giralda Animal Welfare Center, 575 Woodland Ave., Madison, NJ 07940 or charity of choice
would be appreciated.
