Obituary of Mary Christina Oglesby
It is with heavy hearts that we must announce the passing of Mary Christina Oglesby, who passed away on May 24th, 2024, at Merry Heart of Succasunna. She lived 82 beautiful years and made so many precious memories in her time with us.
Mary was born to Michael and Marcella in Dublin, Ireland, in December of 1941. She was raised there alongside her siblings until she married her husband, Frank Oglesby, and the couple made the move to the United States. Mary made a home for herself in Queens, New York, where she worked as a cafeteria attendant at multiple public schools. She was an extremely hard worker and provided for her family no matter what.
For Mary, family always came first. Her children have fond memories of camping trips during their childhood and they cherish their summertime trips to Ireland where they were able to visit and make precious memories with their family there. Keeping the connection alive with an ocean separating the two families was no an easy task, but it was a labor of love that Mary took on with pride. Her grandchildren remark that she imparted her love for the movie theatre on them with her frequent trips to the movies where she would arm them with popcorn and candy. Mary had a knack for finding new ways to spoil her grandkids and made it her mission to attend every school concert, recital, and graduation. When they were young, she dedicated so much time to them, whether it was reading to them or listening to them practice their music, and later in life she was even able to learn from them. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy and nothing came between her and her beloved little ones. Neither rain or snow could stop Mary from being in the room when each of them were brought into the world; a new ray of sunshine for her to dote on.
In her free time, Mary loved the beach and often made trips to Rockaway and Jones Beach in the city. She was also an avid ballroom dancer and would attend her classes multiple times a week to keep up her skills. When it came to skills, though, Mary had a very unique one; juggling! Her family states that she was so good at it that they would find increasingly harder objects to toss her way and she still found ways to throw them through the air with ease.
Mary’s talents and passions were many, but nothing came close to her kindness and compassion. She was fiercely loyal to her family and loved so hard. She had a warm and witty sense of humor, a lovable brand of stubbornness, a love for all animals, and even with her petite stature, she was a force to be reckoned with. Her generosity and care for others was overflowing, and we can see already that those traits have been imbued into the personalities of her family members.
And though we are deeply saddened by her absence, we take comfort in knowing that she is at peace, reunited with those who passed before her; her husband, Frank Oglesby, her siblings, Michael, Edward, Christopher, and her parents, Michael and Marcella, her wonderful brother-in-law, Pedro, and her son-in-law, Jason. It is now that we look to those she leaves behind to carry on her legacy of compassion and care. Mary’s survivors include her daughter, Lisa Oglesby, her son, Ray Oglesby, her five beloved grandchildren, and her sister, Monica Arcaya, as well as many cherished nieces, nephews, their children, and grandchildren. Please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers during this time.
If you would like to contribute to Mary’s legacy in your own way, please consider making a charitable contribution to either the 11th Hour Rescue, an organization Mary was passionate about, or to the Alzheimer’s Association to help others who are struggling in the same way Mary did. Donations can be made via inmemof.org.
A Funeral Service will be held on Sunday, June 2nd, at 2 PM at Norman Dean Home for Services, with public visiting hours to be held from 12 to 2 PM also at Norman Dean. Please join us to celebrate Mary’s life and use this page to share a memory, leave a condolence, or light a candle to continue to let Mary’s light shine!
