Obituary of Theresa Marie Oliver

Theresa Marie (“Terry”) Oliver (neé Compatti), 95, of Manalapan passed away Sunday, July 7, after a long illness.

Terry was born and raised in the Little Italy section of NYC, the fifth child of Ralph and Rose (Laurenzo) Compatti. An exceptional student, she skipped two grades and graduated HS at the age of 16, then began a career as an Executive Assistant in the insurance industry. She and her childhood best friend, Mary, developed a lifelong passion for travel, which took her as far west as Hawaii, as far north as Maine and south to pre-revolutionary Cuba. A chance encounter during one of those adventures – a summer, 1956 vacation on Nantucket Island, her favorite place on earth – led her to meet the love of her life, her late husband George.

Following their marriage in 1957, they settled in Jersey City, NJ. Terry took time off to raise their two sons, Christopher and Ronald, and returned to the workforce in 1968 following the family’s move to Elmwood Park, NJ. There, she began a lengthy career in retail fine jewelry sales, following in the footsteps of her father, who had been a jeweler and pawnbroker in lower Manhattan. A terrifying experience when the store was robbed at gunpoint led to Terry’s decision to return to the corporate world. She became a personnel manager for the K-Mart corporation, a position she held until her retirement in the late ‘80s. Once the first of her granddaughters was born in 1992, she began a new part time career as “Mom-Mom” and caregiver, a role she considered the highlight of her life.

Steadfastly independent, following the death of her husband in 2006 Terry remained in her Elmwood Park home, frequenting the town’s Senior Center with her circle of friends and “lunching” with the ladies. Always a voracious reader, she loved taking enrichment classes at the local Community College with her late friend Charlotte. Only a second broken hip in 2023, and the advancement of the anemic condition she had dealt with since 1960 led her to agree to leave her home of 55 years and relocate to The Villas at Manalapan, where she lived until her passing. She could be found most afternoons in the activity room, playing bingo (she usually won), or continuing her fondness for reading. Only the increasing seriousness of her illness and the need for frequent hospital trips slowed her down.

Terry was predeceased by her husband, George, and her sisters Jean (Walls), Anna (Marmo), Frances (Cataldo) and Rose (Scacco). She is survived by her sons Christopher (Julia) of Morganville; Ronald (Robyn) of Toms River; her beloved granddaughters Hope Ballentine (Luke) of Evansville, WI; Christina Barry (Michael) of Marlboro; adored great grandchildren Julianna, Isabella and Jax of Evansville, and Angelina and Michael, Jr of Marlboro; her sisters-in-law Betty, Helen, Ann Marie and Laurel Mae; dozens and dozens of nieces and nephews; and scores of friends, including her closest, dearest friend of over 50 years, AnnMarie.

Terry will travel again to her beloved Nantucket this Fall, to be laid to rest in the Oliver Family plot in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. A celebration of her life will be held at that time.

Friends and family are invited to visit on Friday, July 12^th,  from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, at Freeman Manalapan Marlboro Funeral Home, 344 Route 9 North.  A funeral liturgy will be held at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Englishtown, NJ on Saturday at 10:00 AM.   In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the charity of your choice in her memory. To leave a condolence or find directions, visit www.freemanfuneralhomes.com.