Obituary of Margaret J Zeman

Margaret J. Zeman (Gmell), 90, of Wyckoff, formerly of Midland Park, loving wife, mother, and grandmother, died peacefully on Thursday, April 16, 2020, after a brief illness. Born in Easton, Pennsylvania, she grew up in Union City, New Jersey. She later lived in North Bergen before moving to Midland Park in 1962, where she lived for 54 years before moving to Wyckoff in 2016. Marge worked for more than 10 years as an executive assistant for Equitable Life in New York City, and later for nearly 30 years for the Midland Park Memorial Library prior to her retirement in 2000. She was a long-time parishioner of the Church of the Nativity in Midland Park, where for many years she sang in the choir. Marge was predeceased by her loving husband of 58 years, Edward Zeman, in 2015. She is survived by her daughters Mary Beth Zeman and her husband Michael Budinsky of Wyckoff and Christine and her husband Richard Diehl of Westwood; grandchildren Stephen Budinsky and his wife Rachel Goodgal, Katherine Budinsky, and Laura and Kevin Diehl, and by her cousins Alice Karleski and Gerald Kobalter. Among her great interests were reading, especially mysteries, and for some time she contributed book reviews to the Ridgewood News. She also loved the opera, classical music, Frank Sinatra, and watching tennis and the New York Yankees. Marge’s greatest love, though, was for her family, and she will be dearly missed. Due to the current social restrictions, a private service will be held for the immediate family only. A celebration of Marge’s life will be planned for a later date. Arrangements were made by the Vander Plaat Funeral Home of Wyckoff, www.vpfh.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Marge’s name may be made to the Church of the Nativity, 315 Prospect Street, Midland Park, NJ 07432, or the Glaucoma Research Foundation, 251 Post Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94108, www.glaucoma.org.