Marjorie Close Potter, 89, passed away on Friday, April 17 at Bayshore Community Hospital, according to an obituary on app.com.
She was born Marjorie Warwick on Dec. 30, 1922 in Long Branch. Marjorie grew up in Matawan and attended Matawan Regional High School. According to a high school document, the Matawan Regional High School Alma Mater, still sung today, was written by Marjorie in 1938. Classmate Arris Banke wrote the music to go along with the words. Both were in the class of 1939.
The alma mater anthem goes as follows:
Hail Alma Mater, of thee we sing
Our lifted voices, your praises ring
We'll cherish you and add to your fame
Always and ever we'll uphold your name.Though other thoughts may change with times
Duty to you is foremost in our minds
Down through the years winning honors anew
We'll all be loyal Matawan to you.
According to the obituary, Marjorie traveled the country in 1953 with famous harpist and teacher Mildred Dilling. With Dilling, she had the opportunity to meet many influential people, including Harpo Max and President Truman.
She went on to marry Charles "Chuck" Potter in 1964 and lived a long a happy life, the obituary says.
William A Close, age 77, born in NY to NY parents, was enumerated right below Charles' household on the same page along with William's wife Emma. William was likely Charles's older brother. Charles' property was worth $10,000; William's was worth $15,000.
The Matawan Journal provides the following: In 1927, he was a partner in Close & Warwick of Asbury Park, a car dealership. He was a member of the M E Haley Hose Co in 1928. He ran for Matawan Borough Council in 1933 and was still a councilman in 1935. He and his wife went to a Broadway show in New York in June 1945 to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Their daughter Marjorie joined them. Merritt's obituary said he was a retired civil service employee who had worked at the US Army base in Brooklyn, NY. He had been a Matawan councilman and a member of the above fire company. He died in Riviera Beach, FL, where he had lived only briefly. His parents were Joseph and Lena (Schmidt) Warwick. The dams at Lake Matawan and Lake Lefferts weren't built until the 1920s,so I'm unclear what dam you are referring to in 1916. I'm assuming his civil service work for the US Army in Brooklyn is what you are talking about. The local newspaper says nothing about that work during the war, at least not that I could find. Perhaps it was classified work.
If interested, please give a call to 732 279 0814, All best, Charlie Warwick