Agnes Maffey Turtur, 99, of Shrewsbury, passed away peacefully April 16 at Monmouth Medical Center. She was born to the late Charles and Marie Maffey in Elizabeth.
Agnes graduated from Sacred Heart Elementary School and Battin High School in Elizabeth and went on to receive a B.S. in education from Rider College in 1941, accelerating her studies to graduate in only three years, commuting each day from Elizabeth to Trenton by train.
In 1943 she married Felix J. Turtur III also of Elizabeth, traveling with him and teaching school wherever the U.S. Army stationed him during World War II. They settled at the Jersey Shore in 1951 and moved to Fair Haven in 1957 where they lived for 43 years, moving to Shrewsbury in 2000.
Agnes was a teacher at the Markham Place School in Little Silver from 1957 until her retirement in 1982. She was a devoted daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who had boundless energy, caring for all those whom she loved. Family meant everything to her. Whether you knew her as Agnes, Mom, Grandma, Ama, Aunt Agnes or Gigi, you could always count on her unconditional love.
She loved traveling with her family, which included trips to Italy, Hawaii, Disney World, many cruises and winters on the Siesta Key, Florida beach. She was always a beach lover and for the past nine years she adored spending summers on the cabana deck at Surfrider Beach Club in Sea Bright, talking to everyone who walked by. She celebrated her birthday there every Labor Day weekend and everyone on the beach sang “Happy Birthday” to her. Agnes never lost her cognitive ability and was able to memorize her niece’s 10-digit phone number by one verbal cue and execute the call just four days prior to her death.
Agnes was predeceased by Felix, her husband of 64 years, her sister Grace A. Maffey and brother Charles G. Maffey.
Surviving are her loving daughter Marlane Turtur Bade of Fair Haven; her grandchildren, Kristina Bade Binder (John) of Fair Haven and Stephen A. Bade (Kathleen) of Brielle; her great-grandchildren, Thomas, Charlotte, Logan, Delaney and Weston and step-great-grandchildren, JB and Ellie. Also surviving is her brother, Constant O. Maffey (Afra) of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
A Memorial Mass celebrating Agnes’ life will be held at a future date.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Wounded Warrior Project.
Please visit Agnes’ memorial website at johnedayfuneralhome.com.
The article originally appeared in the April 30 – May 6, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
