Marian Flaherty, 84, most recently of Shrewsbury, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, November 30th. She was born May 31, 1932 in Jersey City, the daughter of Harry and Elizabeth Foley. Marian graduated from St. Aloysius Academy and studied at Fordham University. She earned a degree from Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School. Marian was married to the love of her life, Frank, and as she liked to say, “I chased him until he caught me”. She was a long time communicant of St. James Roman Catholic Church, in Red Bank, and in recent years was active at Holy Innocents Roman Catholic Church in Neptune. At a young age, Marian would visit Foundling Hospitals just to hold and comfort babies who had no parents. Perhaps that’s where her interest in children began because she went on to have 10 children with her Frank. While raising her family, she stepped outside to help others. Her passion for the pro-life cause energized her to co-found Birthright of Red Bank in 1978, a non-denominational program that provides support to those facing an unexpected or crisis pregnancy. Her commitment to Birthright continued for the next 30 plus years, and for her efforts she received a number of awards recognizing her devotion to the pro-life cause. But she did so much more. She would get up before dawn to pick up day- old bread from local supermarkets to deliver to the Barn for the Poorest of the Poor. She sought out nursing home residents who had no other visitors; brought communion and comfort to hospital and nursing home patients, and found safe homes for expectant moms. The Church was central to Marian’s life and these are a few examples of how she lived her Christian faith.
Visitation will be from 3-5 pm on Saturday December 3rd and 3-7 pm on Sunday December 4th at the John E. Day Funeral Home, 85 Riverside Avenue, Red Bank. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 am Monday December 5th at St. James Roman Catholic Church, Red Bank, with internment to follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Middletown.