February 6, 1948 – May 27, 2023

            Marie Claire Palumbo (Fineran) died on May 27, 2023 on what would have been her 51^st wedding anniversary.  Sadly her husband, Kenneth Wood Fineran, predeceased her in August 2016.   They’d been married for some 44 years.

            Born on February 6, 1948 in San Bartolomeo in Galdo, Italy (northeast of Naples) to Matteo and Giovannina Palumbo, Marie lived her first six years in Italy.   The family immigrated to the United States in 1954 where they settled and lived in Millburn for 69 years.  Family legend has it that she was the only one who didn’t get seasick on the voyage to their new home in America!

            That distinction, however, paled in comparison to what she quickly accomplished in her early years in Millburn ~ a 1955 PTA prize for correctly guessing the number of beans in a jar ~ a 2^nd Grade essay on ‘Street Safety’ published in The Millburn-Short Hills Item in 1956 ~ a 4^th Grade story published there in 1958 ~ and winning a trophy in a 1962 Taylor Park Twist Dance Contest to name a few!

            Fluent in many languages, Marie received a B.A. in French from Monmouth College (now Monmouth University), West Long Branch, NJ in 1970. There she was roommates with fellow MHS classmate Gayle Colandrea, cementing a lifelong close friendship till Marie’s recent passing.  Marie married Ken Fineran in 1972, and she spent her entire work career with State Farm Insurance.  She retired in 2006 as a divisional claims superintendent.  She had been a member and officer of the Business and Professional Women of Millburn-Short Hills.  Ken also had a career in insurance.  After two years with US Army military intelligence in Panama, he graduated from Upsala College, then worked for Allstate Insurance over 30 years.  He retired in 2001 as claims manager of their Special Investigations Unit.   Ken was very active in the Boy Scouts of America, serving as scoutmaster of BSA Troop 17 for 36 years. 

            Marie and Ken enjoyed traveling and hiking, but apparently only Ken enjoyed actual camping!  Their travels took them around the world from Rio to Rome, Hong Kong to Alaska and New Hampshire to Spain.  A favorite destination for many years was the island of Aruba and the good times they shared there with Djurre Vireswijk, chief scout of the Netherlands Antilles.  Both Marie and Ken were voracious readers, patrons of the arts, and ‘snowbirds,’ spending winters at their home on Hutchinson Island in Jensen Beach, Florida.

            In addition to Ken, her father Matteo also preceded Marie in death.  She is survived by her mother, Giovannina Palumbo of Millburn; her sister, Lena Kasliner (Harvey) of Jensen Beach, FL; brother, Michael Palumbo (LuAnn) of Union, NJ; and numerous nieces and nephews.

            A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church in Short Hills, NJ.  Entombment of ashes will immediately follow.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to BSA Troop 17 Short Hills or Center for Hope Hospice in Scotch Plains, NJ.

On May 19, 2018 Marie unveiled a new sign for ‘Fineran Way,’ a street next to The Mall at Short Hills, honoring her late husband’s service to the community.

(note:  For more pictures of Marie, visit the ‘Mini Reunions’ section of ‘Class 66 photos’ on this website where she enjoyed continuing class connections in the years after our 50^th Reunion.)