Obituary of Eileen Clericuzio

Eileen McElligott Clericuzio

(Sister Timothy Marie, O.P.)

Eileen McElligott Clericuzio, 88, of Basking Ridge, N.J., died Friday, August  23, 2024.

Eileen was a lifelong resident of New Jersey. She was born in Montclair and resided in Nutley before moving to Point Pleasant approximately 50 years ago.  She recently moved to Basking Ridge in 2022.

Eileen attended St. Mary’s Grammer School in Nutley and was a graduate of Nutley High School. She graduated from Caldwell University with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a minor in Biology and Mathematics. Eileen pursued her Master’s degree in Theology at Providence College and a Master’s program in Chemistry at Villanova University. She also took graduate level coursework in Chemistry at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. 

Eileen was very active during her high school and college years where she played competitive tennis, having participated in the Long Island Junior and Girls Tennis Championships. She participated in many plays and musicals in both high school and college, and was a member of the prestigious drama organization, The Collegians; a musical comedy company that toured the state to raise funds for scholarships. Eileen also received Griffith Honors for her singing talent during high school.

Following graduation from Caldwell University, Eileen spent many years as a former member of the Sisters of  St. Dominic of Caldwell where she was known as Sister Timothy Marie, O.P. She was an effective and loving teacher of Chemistry, Physics, Math, and Biology and touched the lives of many people.

Her teaching career included St. Aloysius School, Caldwell; Our Lady of Peace, New Providence; Mount St. Dominic Academy, Caldwell; Cedar Ridge High School, Old Bridge; and Mater Dei High School, Middletown.

Prior to teaching at Cedar Ridge, Eileen was a Synthetic Bio-Organic Chemist with Hoffman La Roche, Inc., in Nutley, NJ. She was also published as co-author of “Small-scale preparation of 5’-nucleotides and analogs by carrot phosphotransferase” in Analytical Biochemistry, Vol. 36, No 2.

In her spare time, Eileen was a professional photographer who owned and operated her own wedding photography studio and business. She was also an accomplished artist specializing in beautiful watercolor paintings. Eileen loved birds and was an avid amateur ornithologist who participated annually in the NJ Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory migration count.

She was a devout Catholic and an active member of St. Martha’s Roman Catholic Church in Point Pleasant where she sang soprano in the church choir.

Throughout her life she was very active in sports (tennis, golf, and swimming) and a lifelong fan of the Yankees and Giants.

She will be remembered for being a very generous and kind person who delighted in mentoring young people and helping those in need.

While she was an exceptionally accomplished woman, her greatest passion  was her family. She was predeceased by her husband, Albert, her parents, Timothy and Beatrice (Quigley) McElligott, her sister and brother-in-law, Judith and Thomas Dougherty, nephew Timothy, and grand-nephew Thomas.

Eileen is survived by her nieces and nephews, Judith (Craig); Eileen (Robert);  CDR Thomas Dougherty (USN retired); Michael (Lucy); Janice (Richard); James LaTorroca (Francine); and by grand-nieces and grand-nephews, Katherine, Matthew (Molly), Ryan, Sarah, Meghann, Anya, Timothy (Rachel), Patrick, and Grace.

Visitation will be held at Gallaway & Crane Funeral Home, 101 S. Finley Ave., Basking Ridge, on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, from 9:00-10:45 AM. Funeral Mass will be held at St. James Roman Catholic Church, 184 S. Finley Ave, Basking Ridge, on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 11:00 AM. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial Donations may be made to The Sisters of St. Dominic in Caldwell, where Eileen was a nun for many years and was a place so very near and dear to her heart. A link is included:

Sisters of St Dominic, Caldwell, NJ (etransfer.com)

If you would like the family to be notified of your gift you may indicate on the website the following address:

The family of Eileen Clericuzio

1111 Long Hill Rd

Stirling, NJ 07980