Catherine Rita Gelo

Catherine Rita McKenna Gelo, beloved sister, mother, and grandmother, left this life on November 18, 2021 at the age of 90 following a series of age-related illnesses. Born in Dover, New Jersey on January 14, 1931,
Catherine was the daughter of Lenore (née Emerick) and Felix Francis Xavier McKenna of Long Valley. She grew up in Rockaway and Long Valley. After graduating from Hackettstown High School, she worked at the Morris County Courthouse. She married Joseph V. Gelo in 1956 and the couple lived and raised their family in Livingston until 2013, when they moved to Hackettstown. Catherine was predeceased by her parents, nine siblings, and her husband. She is survived by a sister, Candae Oliva of Dorchester, Massachusetts; three sons: Daniel J. Gelo (Gabrielle), Bandera, Texas; Jeffrey V. Gelo, Hackettstown; Joseph A. Gelo (Amy), Long Valley; and three grandsons: Terence J. Gelo (Emily), Houston, Texas; Thomas V. Gelo (Jasmine), Los Angeles, California; Christopher J. Gelo, Long Valley. As a young woman Catherine excelled at horseback riding, ice skating, and jitterbug and square dancing. She was known in the small towns for driving her jeep a little too fast on her way to the courthouse. She enjoyed simple pleasures like vacations in New England and Texas, fall foliage, apple cider, snowmen, and the winter holidays. She kept a spirit of adventure, taking a hot air balloon ride and making a soggy canoe trip through the Guadalupe River rapids at age 73. Catherine was a keen fan of country music, especially George Strait, and fiercely proud of her Irish ancestry. Above all, she will be remembered for her dedication in taking care of her husband and boys. Family and friends may pay their respects on Monday, November 22, 2021 from 4-7 PM at the Maguire-Scala Memorial Home, 124 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ 07840. A Mass of Christian burial honoring Catherine and her husband Joseph, also recently deceased, will be held on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at 11:00 AM at Our Lady of the Mountain Church, 2 East Springtown Road, Long Valley, NJ 07853 with interment to follow at Hackettstown Union Cemetery. For those wishing to make memorial gifts, please consider the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at https://www.jdrf.org/ or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-1942 or the American Heart Association, 1 Union St. Suite 301, Robbinsville, NJ 08691. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Maguire-Scala Memorial Home, 124 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ 07840 to send an online condolence visit www.maguire-scalamemorialhome.com