The Arc of Essex County is deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Ann Marino, a resident of the Green Ave group home. Annie was truly an icon in The Arc family, having been in our services since 1981. Born in 1942, Annie lived with her family for the first 20 years of her life, then moved to the North Jersey Developmental Center. In 1981 she moved to The Arc’s Orange group home and lived there for six years. In 1987, she moved to the Nutley group home and remained there for 32 years. In 2019, Ann’s ambulation challenges resulted in her moving to our barrier-free Green Avenue home, where she had a happy reunion with a former Nutley housemate, who remained close friends with Annie.

Annie attended many of our day programs, including Avenues, Orange Hub and most recently, Opportunity Zone. She was also an active participant in our SPARC Saturday program and created many wonderful memories with that group.

Wherever she was, Annie was a force to be reckoned with.  She loved pasta, coffee, cats, the opera, and, most of all, her sisters. Being legally blind never slowed her down and her life was filled with family, friends, and many wonderful memories. Although she never had children of her own, she was “Grandma” to dozens of staff and will be sorely missed by all.

If you would like to make a donation to The Arc of Essex County in Annie’s memory, please visit our tribute donation page.  Please note that your donation is in memory of Ann Marino; an acknowledgement of your tribute will be sent to her family members.