Mendham's Josephine Irene Daley, 94, Passes Away

MENDHAM, NJ— Josephine Irene Daley, 94, of Mendham Township, died peacefully, surrounded by family, on April 15, 2017. Born on November 16, 1922, she grew up in Lyndhurst, N.J., the daughter of Victor and Josephine Basinski. She earned her B.A. degree at William Patterson University in 1944, and taught elementary school until her marriage to Joseph F. Daley, in 1945. The couple moved to Morristown where their first two daughters were born, then settled in Mendham Township in 1950 raising their now four daughters. Irene and Joe were founding members of the Mendham Golf and Tennis Club

Irene was active in the community as a member of the Morristown Women’s Club, the Home Garden Club of Morristown, the Brookside Community Club, the Washington Valley Twig Group, the Brookside Garden Club, and the Brookside Women’s Club. She was a past President of the Brookside Elementary School PTA, and served on the Juvenile Conference Committee. She was a long time member of St Joseph’s Church in Mendham. Her hobbies included bridge, flower arranging, tennis, golf, investing, sewing, gardening, and crafts.

Irene enjoyed politics and current events and was an independent thinker, always interested in a good discussion. Throughout her life she prided herself on her eye for style, both in her apparel and in her home. She found immense joy in time spent with her family. One of her great loves was animals, especially dogs and cats.

She was predeceased by Joe, her loving husband of 65 years, her parents, and a brother, Victor Basinski. She is survived by her daughters who will miss her greatly, Irene O’Neill (John) of Larchmont, NY; Jean Blair (David) of Villanova, PA; Elaine Bek (Les) of Kentfield, CA; and Katie Wilde (Brad) of Avon, CT. She is also survived by 8 wonderful grandchildren and 3 delightful great grandchildren.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, April 20th from 2-4 and 7-9 pm at Bailey Funeral Home, 8 Hilltop Road, Mendham, NJ. Funeral Mass Friday, April 21st at 11am at St. Joseph Church, Mendham, NJ. Interment Mendham Hilltop Cemetery. www.baileyfuneral.com

For those desiring, donations in her memory may be made to the Friends of Randolph Animal Pound or the American Heart Assn.

Image via Shutterstock