Plan for the Future
In Memoriam, Maureen Whiteside
With great sadness, we share the news of Maureen Whiteside passing.
Maureen Whiteside, 84,of Oak Ridge, NJ died peacefully at her daughter Anne Hamtil’s home on January 31, 2024 after a long battle with heart disease.
Born and raised in the Marble Hill section of the Bronx, NY she was the daughter of the late Thomas and Anna O’Connor. Thereafter she met her husband Jack Whiteside and raised four loving children in Denville, NJ. Maureen graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in the Bronx and Grace Institute and was an excellent student. In addition to raising the family Maureen had a successful career as an executive secretary supporting FDA submissions for SmithKline Beecham.
Maureen stayed very busy with a family of four with the children being roughly two years apart. Maureen and Jack were the first in their families to have left the Bronx and bought a brand new house in the country. It was a very exciting time and the O’Connors and Whitesides continued to come to the country to visit frequently as well as to assist with the novelty of living in a single family home as this was very inspiring for families of Irish immigrants. But mostly Maureen loved her kids dearly.
As time progressed and grandchildren appeared, Mom was always there to help and establish fun loving relationships with each of her five grandchildren, Alec, Brandon, Tommy, Madyson and Meghan. She loved each and every one with her whole heart. Mom relished getting into laughing fits each of us were lucky enough to have enjoyed with her. One such occasion Mom was sitting in her electric recliner and the electricity shut off. She was taking diuretics at the time which necessitated frequent bathroom visits but could not get out of the chair. She called 911 and the fire department came to help her out of her chair. This may not appear funny but she laughed so hard telling this story you could not help laughing just as hard with her.
Maureen is survived by her three siblings, Patrick O’Connor, Timothy O’Connor, and Anne O’Shea and husband Tim as well as her children Anne Hamtil and husband James of Whippany, NJ, Eileen Potts and husband Jeff, of Vernon, NJ, and sons John Whiteside of Greenwich, CT and Bob Whiteside and wife Judy of Palm City, FL and last but not least her loving grandchildren Alec and Brandon Reda, Tommy Whiteside, Madyson Potts and Meghan Hamtil as well as many cousins, friends, nieces, and nephews.
Mom truly adored telling stories, listening to stories and laughing with everyone she met. Ironically heart disease was a constant struggle for a woman with such a big heart.
