Obituary of Deborah J. Scala

Deborah J. (Morse) Scala, of Mt. Tabor, passed away surrounded by her loving family on Thursday, January 21, 2016. She was 67 years young. Born in Newton, MA, Deb was a proud resident of Mt. Tabor, NJ. She worked as a Kindergarten Teacher at Littleton Elementary School. She was a very dedicated and active member of the United Methodist Church of Mt. Tabor. She was involved in many committees at the church, but her favorite was the Card Ministry which entailed writing out cards, having the children help decorate them, and sending them out to those in need of having their day brightened. She also was a member of the Great Auditorium Ocean Grove Choir Festival, which she enjoyed with the love of her life, Joe. Together with her soulmate, she was a volunteer at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Basking Ridge and helped the charity organization BRIDGES feeding the homeless. Deb also belonged to the Presbyaires, which involved going to different nursing homes and making folks smile with music. In her spare time, she loved to play the dulcimer, to read and she was a part of the Page Turner Book Club. She also looked forward to Children’s Day Weekend in Mt. Tabor each year. Deb's hobbies also included drawing, scrabble, wheel of fortune, and cheering for her NY Giants to name a few. Her main passion in life was her family. She was a hard working, compassionate, kindhearted, thoughtful, and friendly soul, wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend. She will be greatly missed by all of the lives she has touched. Deb will live on in the hearts and souls of many including her beloved husband of 45 years, Joseph A. Scala; her cherished children, Sarah Scala and her fiancé Robert McNally and Cindy Scala; her caring father-in-law, Al Rose; her loving brother, Craig Morse, sister in laws Sharon and the late Edward Johnson, and Theresa Scala; her loving nieces and nephews, Kevin and his wife Josephine Morse, John and his wife Elizabeth VanWart, Danielle Scala, Jason Scala, Tracy Scala, Kimberly Dooley, and great-nieces and great-nephews; her adored cousin, Sandra Hull-Sbaldigi; and her worshiped pup, Zeppole. A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, January 27th at 10:00 am at the United Methodist Church of Mt. Tabor, 5 Simpson Ave, Tabor, NJ 07878. Cremation is private. A memorial visitation will take place on Tuesday, January 26th from 4 – 8 pm at Norman Dean Home for Services, 16 Righter Avenue, Denville, NJ. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Deborah’s memory to “In Memory Of” to the United Methodist Church of Mt. Tabor or Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund by way of www.inmemoryof-memorial.org. Please leave a condolence for her family. “In the blink of eye, everything can change. So forgive often and love with all your heart. You may never know when you may not have that chance again.”