Plan for the Future
Richard (Dick) Aloysius Markey, Jr., loving husband of Adele Benziger Markey, died peacefully at home in Morristown on February 21, 2015. Born in Brooklyn, NY on July 19, 1920, his family moved to Convent Station, NJ and then to Summit, NJ. He graduated from The Peck School in Morristown, then Canterbury School in New Milford, CT. In 1941 he graduated from MIT with a degree in civil engineering and enlisted in the military to fight in WWII where he served as a naval aircraft navigator.
He married Adele Benziger in 1948 and they settled in Summit, NJ where they raised six children. Later they moved to New Vernon and then to Morristown. After the Second Vatican Council in the 1960’s, Dick became one of the pioneer liturgical consultants. For over fifty years he designed or renovated more than 200 churches, among them Sacred Heart Cathedral in Newark, the Church of Christ the King in New Vernon, Our Lady of Sorrows Church in South Orange, St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, St. Rose of Lima Church in Short Hills, Our Lady of Peace Church in New Providence, the chapel at the Church of the Nativity in Fair Haven, the Church of St. Vincent de Paul in Stirling, and the Rosary Shrine and the chapel at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in Summit. He served on the Liturgical Commissions for the Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Paterson. His work was both an avocation and a vocation and he continued to relish it into his 90’s.
His family had been involved in the railroad business and Dick entranced his grandchildren with stories about traveling by train with his grandparents. As the children grew older, they were eager to hear his stories about flying dirigibles to protect the East Coast from U-boats in WWII and planes to transport troops in the Pacific
Dick was an extraordinary example of a gentle man and instilled the value in his children to do their best at whatever task is at hand, be it small or large. .
He is survived by Adele, his beloved wife of almost 67 years, and their six children: Adele (Delly) M. Beekman (Peter) of Lincroft, NJ; Anne M. Mahbubani (Kishore) of Singapore; Richard A. Markey, III of Bernardsville, NJ; Peter B. Markey (Maria) of Larchmont, NY; Shelagh M. Maass (William) of New Canaan, CT; and Bernard B. Markey of New Vernon, NJ as well as 12 grandchildren: William A. Beekman, Richard C. Beekman (Lisa), Joseph M. Beekman (Kelly), Adele B. Beekman, Kishore R. Mahbubani (Becky), Shelagh M. Mahbubani, Jhamat P. Mahbubani, Gabrielle D. Markey, Danielle B. Markey, Richard W. Maass (Etuna), C. Adele Maass, Charles R. Maass, and two great-grandchildren: Ani E. Maass and Craig M. Beekman.
Visitation will be at Bradley Funeral Home, Chatham, NJ on Friday, February 27 from 4 – 7 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, February 28 at 10:30 am at Christ the King Church, New Vernon, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Rosary Shrine, 543 Springfield Ave., Summit, NJ 07901.