Margaret Morreale

Margaret Virack Blank Morreale, 70, of Parlin, N.J., formerly of Union, N.J., passed away from lung cancer on Nov. 21, 2013, at her home. Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24, at the McCracken Funeral Home, 1500 Morris Ave., Union, N.J. 07083. A Funeral Mass will be offered at Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church, 971 Suburban Rd., Union, N.J. 07083, on Monday, Nov. 25, at 9:30 a.m. by Rev. Bruce Janiga. Interment immediately follows at Rosedale Cemetery (Pinelawn Section), 355 E. Linden Ave., Linden, N.J. 07036. Marge was born in New York, N.Y., on Dec. 31, 1942, to parents Walter Harold Virack and Maria Rose Bradley. Raised in Bogota, N.J., she was a graduate of Holy Angels Academy and a cum laude graduate of Seton Hall University. Marge began her professional career as an elementary teacher in Pittstown, N.J., and later accepted the position of language arts consultant for the American Book Company. She met her future husband, George Jacob Blank, during this period, married, and raised their five children after his untimely death in 1973. Marge continued to expand her education with a degree in telecommunications systems management from Devry Technical Institute as well as her professional abilities as supervising and professional library assistant (Springfield Public Library, 10 years), director of administration (Morristown Neighborhood House, 14-1/2 years), and office manager (CompoSecure LLC, Mountainside, N.J., 2004-2011). As a resident of Sussex County, Borough of Hamburg, from 1992 to 2004, Marge was elected and served as a Hamburg councilwoman from 1995 to 2004; president of the Sussex County League of Municipalities (2001), and vice chair of the Sussex County Democratic Committee (1997 to 2001). Marge is survived by her five children: Georgette Ochoa, Scott Blank, Rusty Blank, Margie Bonito, and Marcie Blank; Manny Ochoa (son-in-law), Joann Blank (daughter-in-law), and Scott Bonito (son-in-law), and seven grandchildren, Belinda, Jake, Julie, and Timmy Ochoa, Zoe Blank, and Bradley and Ryan Bonito. She also leaves three step-grandchildren, Cassie, Jamie, and Katlyn Speakman, and two honorary grandchildren, Melanie and Gussy Ochoa; sister, Barbara DiGiglio, and brothers, Walter N. and Ronald W. Virack. Marge's hobbies included acrylic painting, cross stitching, quilting, photography, video production, reading, books-on-tape, video games, puzzles, and the Wii. She enjoyed 'being a kid' along with her grandchildren, and planned numerous outings, trips, and adventures with them. Marge continued to build on her solid academic background and her personal and professional commitment to a lifetime of learning. Her family can attest to her continued reference to her life as one in which she was 'not grown up yet.'