Julie Casey McGuinness, age 96, passed away peacefully in her sleep on April 6, 2022. Until her death, she resided in Roseland, New Jersey, for the last 52 years.
Julie was born at home in Childs, Pennsylvania, on October 18, 1925, to Mary Margaret (nee Malia) Casey and Joseph John Casey. One of eight siblings, Julie is survived by two of her sisters, Jean Smith and Anne Roe. She was predeceased by brothers Paul R. Casey, M.D., Lt. Joseph J. Casey, U.S.A., Lt. General Aloysius G. Casey, U.S.A., and sisters Sr. Rosemary T. Casey, IHM, and Catherine E. Price, R.N. She was also predeceased in 2012 by her beloved husband of 52 years, Eugene Thomas McGuinness, Ph.D., originally of Newark New Jersey, and their daughter, Mary Ann McGuinness, who passed away at birth. Julie is survived by daughters Julianne McGuinness and Joan Ibsen (husband Paul), granddaughter Kailey Ibsen Jacomet (husband Jason), grandson Ryan Ibsen, and great-grandchildren Grace Jacomet, Riley Ibsen, and William Jacomet.
Julie grew up in a large and loving Irish-American family in the coal-mining districts of North Eastern Pennsylvania. She graduated from St. Rose High School in Carbondale, PA, and Marywood College in Scranton, PA. Her father died when she was eight, so her mother single-handedly raised Julie and her seven siblings while operating the general store and post office.
Julie was mentored from an early age by her older brother Paul, so when he moved to Philadelphia to attend medical school, Julie was not far behind, pursuing her Master’s Degree in medical technology and working at Temple Medical School, soon mastering much of the cutting-edge knowledge of the era in the realms of medical technology, hematology, biochemistry, and phlebotomy. She was certified as a Medical Technologist by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (MT-ASCP) and worked for several years at Temple University Medical School in the laboratory and teaching pathology and biochemistry to medical students. After thriving at Temple, Julie went on to work at Cornell Medical School (N.Y., NY), Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry (Jersey City, NJ), St. Michael’s Hospital (Newark, NJ), Morristown Hospital, St. Barnabas Hospital (Livingston, NJ), Overlook Hospital (Summit, NJ) and Electro-Nucleonics, Inc. (Fairfield, NJ) before pursuing a retirement career in Real Estate with Weichert Realtors well into her 80’s.
Julie was an extraordinary woman and free spirit with a zest for life, a love of art, literature, travel, and a strong devotion to her family, friends, and faith. Before settling in New Jersey, she traveled throughout Europe and lived in Philadelphia, PA, Denver, CO, and New York City. Despite being a busy mother and career woman, she was an energetic volunteer for many organizations dedicated to improving the lives of people in need. She especially cherished her years of volunteering for and traveling with Mother Teresa (Saint Teresa of Calcutta) as she opened the Missionaries of Charity homes and soup kitchens in New York and New Jersey.
The funeral will be Saturday, May 7 at 11:30 am at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church in Roseland, NJ, with a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated by Monsignor Joseph R. Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D. Interment will be in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover, NJ. The family will receive relatives and friends from 10 am to 11 am at the Shook-Farmer Funeral Home, Roseland, NJ. Arrangements by Shook-Farmer Funeral Home:
In lieu of flowers or gifts, donations can be made to a charity of your choice.