Marilyn Cosgrove, a long time resident of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on March 15, surrounded by her family. She was 85 years old. 

Marilyn, was born in Queens, New York, the only child of John and Ellen Canty. She attended St. Teresa’s grammar school in Sunnyside and Bishop McDonnell High School in Brooklyn. She studied at Fordham University while working full time at Citibank. She graduated at the top of her class in 1961 with a B.S. in Economics. She received the Gold Award for highest overall average as well as medals in Economics and Theology for highest average in those disciplines. She was on the Dean’s List every semester and was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma.Marilyn worked in Citibank’s Trust Division, handling Fortune 500 clients, before leaving the bank to raise her family.

She was happily married to William (Bill) Cosgrove for 52 years proving that opposites do attract. They started their life together in Maspeth, New York before moving to Upper Saddle River in 1977. Together they had three children, two grandchildren, more pets than her husband ever wanted, and a house full of laughter.

Marilyn spent most of her adult life actively involved in her church, first as a volunteer and later, as a staff member at the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River where she was theDirector of Religious Education. During that time, she studied for her Masters in Theology at Seton Hall.

Marilyn was known for her sharp wit, her gift for storytelling, her insistence on maintaining a meticulously clean house, her disdain for cooking, her love of reading, and her passion for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Football Giants

Marilyn was predeceased by her parents John and Ellen Canty and her husband Bill. She is survived by her three children: Ellen and her husband James Surprenant of Cheshire, CT; Sean and his wife Cathy of Andover, NJ; and Bill and his two daughters, Keira and Chelsea, of Mahwah, NJ.

Visitation will be held at Vander Plaat Funeral Home, 257 Godwin Ave., Wyckoff, NJ on Thursday, March 23 from 4 to 8pm.

A funeral mass will be held on Friday, March 24 at 11:15am at Church of the Presentation, 271 West Saddle River Road, Upper Saddle River followed by a gravesite service at Ascension Cemetery, 650 Saddle River Road, Airmont, NY.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Marilyn’s memory to the Church of the Presentation’s Religious Education Program or the To make a gift to the William J. and Marilyn T. Cosgrove Scholarship Fund at Fordham University go to www.fordham.edu/marilyncosgrove scholarship; or call 212-636-6550; or send your check to: Bank of America | Gifts Processing Center, Fordham University, P.O. Box 417762, Boston, MA 02241-7762 and note on memo line.

To make a gift in Marilyn’s memory to the Church of the Presentation’s Religious Education Program go to Faith Direct https://membership.faithdirect.net/enroll/NJ854; or mail check payable to Church of the Presentation 271 West Saddle River Road Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458)(note on memo line)

To make a gift to the William J. and Marilyn T. Cosgrove Scholarship Fund at Fordham University go to https://give.fordham.edu

Under “Area(s) of Support” choose “Other” (last option) and note the name of the scholarship; or call 212-636-6550; or send your check to: Bank of America | Gifts Processing Center, Fordham University, P.O. Box 417762, Boston, MA 02241-7762 and note on memo line.