Obituary of Marguerite T Cusack

Marguerite Theresa Cusack, 90, of Watching NJ died peacefully on April 17, 2020. Peg, as she was known to friends and family, was the oldest of four children born to Denis O’ Sullivan and Kathleen O’Grady on July 19, 1929 in the Bronx. Peg graduated from Cathedral High School in Manhattan and then worked at Benton & Bowles Advertising Agency on Madison Avenue. She met her future husband, James J. Cusack, “down the shore” in Spring Lake, which she always referred to as the Irish Riviera with equal measure of pride and amusement. Jim and Peg were married for 60 years until his death in May 2017. Peg leaves behind her beloved sister Kathleen Luck of Newnan GA, her 6 children: Michael Kevin Cusack (Gail) of Tucson AZ, John Terence Cusack (Elizabeth) of Chicago IL, Ann Sheila Cusack (Luis Pizarro) of Cranford NJ, Kathleen Theresa Cusack of Manhattan NY, James Denis Cusack (Carol) of San Francisco CA, Marguerite Mary Cusack of Ashburn VA and 13 grandchildren: Kevin and Kathleen Cusack; India, Sean, Michael, and Declan Cusack; Lucia Pizarro; Nora and Michael Delf; and Katie, Sean, Greta and Brendan Lutz. Peg was a kind, cheerful and gentle soul who approached every day with unfailing optimism and every person with decency and compassion. Over the years, she volunteered to supervise visits for children under court protection at the Somerset County Courthouse and welcomed children from the Fresh Air Fund and the Experiment in International Living at her home on High Tor Drive in Watchung. She was always ready to take in a stray pet, pull out a clean set of sheets or set an extra place at the table for an unexpected visitor. Peg was a voracious reader who passed along her love of reading and curiosity about the world to all her children. Some of their fondest memories included spending afternoons at the public library where her only rule was that they could check out a stack of books of any height, but only if they could carry it out themselves. Peggy also enjoyed walking in the Great Swamp, visiting museums, practicing transcendental meditation, singing in St. Mary’s choir, visiting relatives in Ireland, rounding up carloads of kids in her orange VW bus and eating out, especially Seafood Neptune at DeMaio’s in Berkeley Heights. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her. A celebration of Peg’s life will be held at a later date. Donations in her memory may be made to UNICEF here: https://secure.unicefusa.org/donate/unicef-tribute-cards.