Obituary of Mary Nagel

A former resident of Cliffside Park, Mary moved to Monroe Township in 1984 and then to South Plainfield in 2012. Born on May 6, 1917 she was married for thirty seven years to Fire Chief John Nagel of Cliffside Park Fire Dept. who passed away in 1979. She graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University majoring in English. Mary worked at Prentice-Hall book publishers in Englewood Cliffs for 27 years and retired as a business editor. She continued using her editorial skills by working for a community newspaper in Monroe Township. During WW2, Mary worked for Western Electric making radios for wartime airplanes. Mary was featured in a health documentary denouncing the use of a synthetic estrogen (DES) that appeared on Channel 13 and shown in medical training classes throughout the United States. Throughout her life, Mary was active in volunteer projects such as raising money for widows of firemen who were killed in the line of duty, PTA, reading programs for children at the local library, and counseling women who were affected by DES and were survivors of breast cancer. Ballroom dancing was a very important part of Mary's life. She served as president of the Rossmoor Dance Club for eighteen years. She was also an avid pinochle player saying it kept her mind active. In addition to her husband, Fire Chief John Nagel, she is predeceased by her parents; Anthony and Vinka (Pavisich) Gozdenovich, three brothers; Martin Gozdenovich, Joseph Gozdenovich, and John Goz, one sister; Katherine Toniolo, a step daughter; Elizabeth Oliver and companion Michael Thomas. She is survived by two daughters; Cheryl Nagel-Smiley of South Plainfield, Karen Nagel-Hedtmann and son-in-law Dr. Udo Hedtmann of Frankfurt, Germany, a grandson; Calvin John Smiley of South Plainfield, two stepsons; John Nagel and wife Joan, George Nagel and wife, Josephine and a host of nieces and nephews. Remembrances can be made in her name to: Foundation for Retinal Research, 1985 Dale Avenue, Highland Park, IL 60035 Funeral arrangements are under the direction of McCriskin - Gustafson Home For Funerals.