Marie O'Boyle

Marie Bernadette O’Boyle (nee Smothergill), 88 of Sparta, passed away peacefully at her Bristol Glen home on February 13, 2020. She was the wife of the late Frances J. O’Boyle who passed October 9, 1988 and the mother of the late Tara Ann O’Boyle who passed away September 14, 2012.

Marie was born in the Bronx, NY on July 7, 1931 to her parents Malcom and Ellen (nee Taylor) Smothergill. She grew up with 3 brothers and a sister, many of whom have since passed.

She is survived by many loving nieces, nephews, and close friends together with their families.

Marie was raised in a typical Irish household. She told many stories about the escapades with her brothers and sister. Her dad was a NY taxi driver and her mom was a homemaker. She attended Roman Catholic grammar and high school in the Bronx. Her favorite subject was history.

When she was about 18 years old, she met the love of her life and soulmate, Frank O’Boyle. They were married on June 10, 1950 at the Church of St. Thomas Aquinas in NY. After many years, their daughter Tara came into their lives. They decided that they wanted to raise their little girl in the country and, thus, moved to Sparta. They settled in Lake Mohawk area and Marie took great pride in calling it “her town.” She loved all her neighbors and always considered them family.

While living in NY in the early years, Marie worked for Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. She was an office administrator and became very popular amongst her co-workers. Some of them remained life time friends. After moving to Sparta, Marie joined Sears as a commissioned sales person and did extremely well reaching goals required of her time after time.

Friendships meant everything to Marie. Her greatest joy was having friends in her home just drinking coffee, laughing and telling stories. She always made sure there was plenty of ice cream in the freezer too.

Marie was an animal lover. She used to love driving through the countryside seeing all the horses and cows. She got so excited when a “family” of deer came onto her property to graze.

Marie’s interests included crocheting, bingo and most of all, travelling. She loved cruises and toured many countries both here and abroad. She was so down to earth that she found excitement in going to flea markets, tricky trays, concerts, and shopping anywhere. After she retired from Sears, she became a “snow bird,” closing up her home each January to reside in Myrtle Beach, SC for 3 months each year. She adored the ocean and always had friends travel down to keep her company.

Marie was a parishioner of Our Lady of the Lake RC Church in Sparta. She attended mass on a regular basis and had a firm belief in God. She spent her final years at Bristol Glen after selling her home in Sparta. She was loved by all the staff and looked forward to visits by family and friends.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2020 from 10 – 11:30AM at Goble Funeral Home 22 Main St., Sparta, NJ 07871. Funeral mass will be celebrated immediately following visitation at 12:00PM at Our Lady of the Lake Church 294 S Sparta Ave., Sparta, NJ 07871. Interment will follow at Sparta Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Marie’s memory to The Center for Prevention and Counseling 61 Spring St., 3rd Floor Newton, NJ 07860.