Long Valley Woman Selected St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshal

LONG VALLEY, NJ - The trustees of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade of Morris County have selected Mary Waller as their 2020 Grand Marshal. The 2020 Saint Patrick's Day Parade returns to Morristown March 14.

Waller is a member of the Irish American Association of Northwest Jersey, the Parade Committee Secretary and is on the Board of Trustees. Waller has been a loyal volunteer on various parade committees over the years and her contributions are endless, officials said.

Waller was born in 1938 in Jersey City, the daughter of Mary and Maurice O’Connell and the oldest of four girls: Mary, Eileen, Sheila and Patricia. Her father is a first generation and her mother is a third generation Irish American. Her paternal grandparents were born in Tullig, Dingle, Ireland and Macroon, Cork, Ireland and her maternal grandparents family is from Drumcliffe, Sligo, Ireland.

She attended A. Harry Moore School and St. Aloysius High School. She married Kenneth Waller in 1958 and traveled to Berkeley, California, while Kenneth served in the U.S. Army at the Nike Ajax Site. When Kenneth was discharged from the U.S. Army, they returned to Hudson County and had five children: Kenneth, Elizabeth Halbach, Jeffrey, Terence and Mary Anna Waller Strid and she has been blessed with twelve grandchildren: Erin, Jack, Molly, Donald, Kylie, Ceili, Matthew, Michaela, Fiona, Zoe, Declan and Elin. Kenneth was diagnosed with atherosclerosis at an early age and a role reversal was required. Waller found employment at the Secaucus Town Hall with the help of the Secaucus Fire Department where her husband had volunteered. She furthered her education in Public Administration by attending Hudson County Community College and Jersey City State College. Waller married John Zaremba in 1996. She retired as Chief Legislative Aide for the State of New Jersey in 2001 and relocated to Lake Mohawk. After the death of her second husband, she became a more active volunteer and in 2017 moved to Long Valley.

Through the years Waller has volunteered her services to many causes:

• Immaculate Conception School in Secaucus
• Hudson County Assoc. for Retarded Citizens’ Board Member
• Secaucus Housing Authority Chairman
• Atlantic Health System Newton Medical Center 2009 to present
• President of Auxiliary, Advisory Board Member, Sparta Cancer Center Volunteer, former Foundation Board Member
• Irish American Assoc. NW NJ – Served as Second Vice President, Feis General Manager and Publicity
• Morris County Saint Patrick’s Day Parade – 2009 to Present – Parade Committee Secretary, Pre-Parade Entertainment Committee

Waller enjoyed the Céilithe and being part of other events and immersed herself in her Irish Heritage by taking lesson in Irish Dance, Music and Language. Officials said her Irish heritage and upbringing have provided her with the strength, perseverance, humor and understanding that we are all a product of our life’s experiences.

Step off is at noon at Morristown Town Hall, 200 South Street. The parade route follows South Street to the Morristown Green and continues along Washington Street to Morristown High School.

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