Obituary of Marie E. Birrer

Marie E. Birrer (Vitale), formerly of Wyckoff, died peacefully Friday, the 5th of June, at home in Walpole, Massachusetts at the age of 96. Born in 1919 in Paterson, New Jersey, the second child of Gaetano Vitale and Lauretta Cantarelli, Marie grew up in Bergen County New Jersey, attended high school and received a Teaching Certification from Montclair State Teachers College in 1940. During the war, she was very active in her community and assisted in many wartime projects. She participated in her church and the Girl Scouts. In 1947, she married Richard Bruce Birrer at St. Elizabeth's in Wyckoff. Marie was a loving wife and a devoted mother to her children. Marie's passion was teaching. She taught in numerous New Jersey schools, conveying her passion of learning to countless students from 1940 until her retirement at the age of 74 in 1993. She taught on both the elementary and high school levels, winning many awards for her teaching skills and curriculum leadership. She is survived by two of her sisters, Florence Raubacher and Alexandra Spizziri, her three children, Richard Birrer, Marie Birrer Maloney and Michael Birrer, and nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband Richard Bruce Birrer in 1989. The Vander Plaat Funeral Home, Wyckoff, www.vpfh.com has been entrusted with arrangements. The visitation is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9th, from 6:00-8:30 P.M. The Funeral Mass will be on Wednesday, June 10th, at 10:30 A.M. at Most Blessed Sacrament, Franklin Lakes, interment will follow at Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ.