His family celebrates the life of Patrick J. Maloney who lost his lengthy battle with COPD May 3, secure in the knowledge that he is now at peace with his beloved Theresa. He was 93.
Born in the Hell’s Kitchen section of New York City, Patrick was the eldest of six children born to Joseph Aloysius Maloney and Ellen (Gleason) Maloney. His father was a business man and restaurateur and his mother a homemaker and elementary school teacher.
Pat was educated in the New York parochial schools, graduating from Power Memorial Academy, and entered the United States Navy in 1943. He served in the Pacific Theatre on the USS Balduck, a destroyer escort, and was honorably discharged in 1946.
During the late 40s he met the love of his life Theresa Russell, and they were married March 31, 1951 at St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village. The newlyweds moved to Washington D.C. where Pat worked briefly at the Bureau of Standards before accepting a job with IBM. The couple lived first in Red Bank before settling in River Plaza, where Pat accepted employment at Bell Laboratories in Holmdel for 30 years as a physicist working with lasers and alongside world-renown inventors.
While living in River Plaza, Pat and Theresa raised their four children who attended St. James School and Red Bank Catholic High School. Pat was a member of the River Plaza Hose Company #1 for more than 50 years, where he served as chaplain and for more than 40 years as recording secretary.
A testament to his many and varied interests were his love of travel, camping and genealogical research. He also acted as family historian, compiling over 200 pages of documentation of his family’s history in Ireland and the U.S. He loved the land of his forefathers, making more than 25 trips to Ireland over the course of his life. He faithfully marched in the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade under the Limerick banner until he was well into his 80s and no longer capable of making the lengthy walk. Through his lifelong dedication to his Irish heritage, he mastered the ability to read, speak and write in Gaelic and received his Irish citizenship.
In 1964, he traveled to Ireland to appear in court and successfully argued his case in Gaelic to reclaim title to his family’s ancestral home “Pribbaun” outside Galway that was in their possession since the 1870s. In 1987 he had the 100-year-old church bell from the Killannin Church belfry which his uncle Willie would ring as a young alter server, shipped to his New Jersey home where it remains in a place of honor. “Maloney Park” officially opened in October 1990 for Irish football thanks to his generous donation to the community. In 2017 Pat fulfilled his lifelong goal of restoring and modernizing the centuries-old Ireland home to preserve it for future generations.
Pat believed in lifelong learning. When not traveling or working, he celebrated life as a member of the Shamrock & Thistle Pipe Band with his son Patrick II for many years. Pat was also an active member of the Knights of Columbus, the Fair Haven River Rats, the Brookdale Computer Users Club (BCUG), Tin Can Sailors and Toastmaster’s speaking engagements. He also served as a board member of the Springview Gardens Condominium Association.
He participated in numerous Civil War battle reenactments with the North South Skirmish Association (NSSA) where he served as artillery officer in the First New York Regiment. Pat and his family visited numerous battlefields and sites throughout the eastern U.S., which complemented their love of camping. He and Theresa eventually purchased land and built a camp in the Adirondacks on the Racquette River in Tupper Lake, New York.
Predeceasing him were his parents, Joseph and Ellen Maloney; his beloved wife of 64 years Theresa Russell Maloney who passed away April 13, 2014; his brother Martin in 1985; his sister Eileen Maloney in 2008; and his sister Katherine Wood in 2010.
Surviving him are his sister Mary Murphy of Mamaroneck, New York; his sister Joanne Dobson of Eastham, Massachusetts; his daughter Deirdre M. Giordano and her husband Lawrence of Wayne; his daughter Tara A. Kingsbery and her husband Walton of Shrewsbury; his son Patrick J. Maloney II and his wife Carol of Spring Lake Heights; and his daughter Maura L. Maloney of Red Bank.
Also surviving are nine grandchildren, Walton W. Kingsbery IV and his wife Mina; Michael L. Giordano and his wife Michelle; Catherine Elizabeth Kingsbery; Jeffrey R. Giordano; Lauren D. Baranek and her husband Matt; Joseph P. Kingsbery; Patrick Joseph Maloney III; Ryan R. Maloney; and Kathryn J. Maloney; three step-grandchildren, Daley C. McCallum, Reilly P. McCallum and James W. McCallum III; four great-grandchildren, Walton W. Kingsbery V, Anna L. Giordano, Farrah T. Kingsbery and Sloane M. Giordano; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
A Memorial Gathering was held May 9 at Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated May 10 at St. James Catholic Church in Red Bank.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to River Plaza Hose Company #1, 26 Applegate St., Red Bank, NJ 07701.
