Mary Swancer, age 99, of Bronx, NY, and more recently Washington NJ, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2020.

Visitation will be held at the Doyle Funeral Home at 106 Maple Avenue, Morristown, NJ starting at 9am on Wednesday, March 18. Mass will follow at Assumption Church, across the street, at 10:00am.

Mary was born on February 21, 1921 in a small village in Jamnik, Slovakia. She came by ship through Ellis Island with her mother, Elizabeth, and sister, Lizzy, at age 8 during difficult times in 1929. Her father, Martin Lacus, had come to the United States five years prior to work in the Pennsylvania coal mines to save enough money to bring his wife and children here for a better life.

In 1936, after completing 8th grade, Mary moved away from her family at age 15 to start a job as a live-in nanny in New York City. She made $20 dollars a month and sent half home to her parents back in Pennsylvania to help them raise her four siblings.

At age 20, she met, fell in love with, and soon married a young, handsome man, Steve Swancer, whom she met at a dance at the Commodore Hotel in NYC in 1941. They had two children, Joan and Stevie. She stayed home with her children, while her husband served in the military during WW II. Once the children were in school, Mary decided to go back to work at Standard Motors Products, where she worked for 38 years.

Mary and Steve were married for 40 years, before Steve passed away at age 63 in 1981. She had lost her one true love and never dated another. She stayed active traveling all over the world with her sisters and sisters-in-law. She kept her mind sharp through reading and word puzzles.

Never wanting anyone to fuss over her, Mary quietly watched the world get older and move faster, as she offered a gentle ear, told interesting stories, and always had a positive outlook and smile- which is why she was loved by so many and will be greatly missed.

Mary is survived by her two children (Joan Swancer Cregan from Washington, NJ and Steve Swancer from Concord, CA), six grandchildren, fourteen great grandchildren, her youngest sister, Margie Swancer from Milesburg, PA, many nieces and nephews, as well as many great nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center, Hospice and Palliative Care, 475 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960.

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