Mary Dorothy Croot died peacefully with her family by her side on January 15, 2026 in Morristown, New Jersey, following a long illness. She was two days shy of her 88th birthday. Mary was born in Morristown on January 17, 1938, the daughter of Carmine and Dorothy Forgione, who predeceased her, as did her brother Carmine “Butch” Forgione.

                Mary was a lifelong resident of Bernardsville. She attended St. Elizabeth’s School in Bernardsville and graduated from Mount Saint John Academy in Gladstone. She is survived by John, her loving husband of 65 years, her son John, Jr. (Karol) of Basking Ridge and daughter Jacqueline Carroll (Michael) of Westport, Connecticut, and her grandson Rocco Carroll. She was predeceased by her son Jimmy.

                Mary deeply loved and cared for her family, but she was kind and generous to everyone. She had a wonderful sense of humor and managed to put people at ease, even when she was struggling with her health. Mary loved reading and she really loved watching British TV, especially period dramas and murder mysteries. Over the past year, Mary was blessed to have the assistance of her caregiver Tamar.

                A lifelong communicant of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Bernardsville, Mary had a particular affinity for the church’s Sacred Heart Chapel on Bernards Avenue. The Chapel is located in the center of the Little Italy community where Mary grew up and to which she remained close her entire life. In 2012, Mary was very proud to serve on the Chapel’s 100th Anniversary Committee, helping to plan the celebration and compile the history of the Chapel and its’ neighborhood.

                Mary will be dearly missed by her family and friends.

                Visitation will be on Wednesday, January 21st from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Gallaway and Crane Funeral Home, 101 South Finley Avenue in Basking Ridge. A funeral mass will be held on Thursday, January 22nd at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 111 Claremont Road (Seney Drive) in Bernardsville. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 145 Mount Airy Road in Basking Ridge.

                Memorial donations may be made in Mary’s memory to the Bernardsville Fire Company and First Aid Squad, www.bernardsvillefire.org