Obituary of Marie Teresa Spoerlein

Marie Teresa Spoerlein, age 84, died Saturday, August 28, 2010 at Fellowship Village in Basking Ridge, NJ. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, she was the daughter of the late Thomas and Anne Spoerlein. She lived in Fox Hollow in North Branch from 1969 until moving to Fellowship Village. She received the BS degree from Seton Hill College in Greensburg, PA in 1947 and her Master's and Doctorate in Biochemistry and Physiology in 1959. She had worked in Pharmaceutical research at Schering Plough and eventually became a Professor of Biochemistry and Physiology at Rutgers University College of Pharmacy. She retired in 1988. Marie had a love of nature and wild life, spending summers and holidays either in Maine or the Poconos. Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her sister, Martha Feller and her brother, Joseph Spoerlein. Marie is survived by her 3 nieces, Rosemary DeCostanzo of Hackettstown, Margaret Mazzei of Clinton, and Christine Sabo of Tortola, MI; and her nephew, Donald Feller of Hampton. She is also survived by her great nephew, Vincent Mazzei of Newtown, PA and her good friend Christina VanderWende. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 9:30am at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Whitehouse Station. Friends may visit with the family prior to the mass at 9:00am in the Narthex of the church. Burial will be in Laurel Grove Cemetery, Totowa, NJ. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Hubert's Animal Shelter, 3201 US Hwy. No. 22, North Branch, NJ 08876.