Patricia A. Merlo Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Patricia A Merlo (nee Spang), 53, of Aberdeen, NJ, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, on Monday, September 14, 2020, at the Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, NJ. Tricia was born in Summit, NJ on St. Patrick's Day in 1967 to Bernhard and Patricia Spang and resided in Mountainside, NJ. She had always envisioned being a teacher and upon graduating from Rutgers University in 1989, she happily dedicated the next 31 years to being an elementary school teacher. She began her teaching career at St. Mary's in Rahway, NJ, where she was awarded the 1997 Outstanding Educator Award by the Diocese of Newark and spent the last 21 years teaching first grade for the Westfield, NJ Board of Education. She was an active parishioner at St. Benedict Church in Holmdel where she was a Eucharistic minister and volunteered teaching the children's liturgy on Sunday mornings. On August 12, 2000, she married her soul mate, Brian Merlo and resided in Scotch Plains, NJ before moving to Aberdeen 16 years ago. Tricia was happiest when she was home spending time with her husband, whom she lovingly referred to as "B", and daughter, Catharine, who was the apple of her eye and her pride and joy. She truly loved teaching and was recognized as a loving, caring, and a fierce advocate for her students. Most dear to Tricia was her faith, family, and friends. Tricia was not one who enjoyed being in the spotlight, but she most enjoyed watching her students, family, and friends succeed, cheering them on from the sideline. She was there with a sympathetic ear when someone needed one and was always there to lend a hand or with words of encouragement, constantly putting everyone else ahead of herself. Her famous "Trishookies" were a staple at every party and get-together and talked about around the world. Although many tried to replicate the recipe, Tricia could never truly explain what made her cookies so good, perhaps it was just her special touch. She was also known for her signature Irish curls that she continually tried to tame, to no avail. She was kind, compassionate, humble, slow to judge and selfless, which is why so many were drawn to her and why she will be sadly missed. Patricia was preceded in death by her father, Bernhard Spang. She is survived by her mother Patricia M Spang; her loving husband of 20 years, Brian, and her daughter, Catharine Merlo; her two brothers and their wives, Thomas and Michele Spang, and Bernard and Mary Spang; her mother and father-in-law, Carol and George Merlo; her brother in law and sister in law Anthony and Leanne Merlo; her brother in law Scott Merlo; her three nieces, Colleen, Emma, and Maeve Spang; and her two nephews, Cullen Spang, and Anthony J. Merlo. She also leaves behind many broken hearts, including an infinite number of students, parents, colleagues and friends whose lives have been blessed by her unconditional love, contagious spirit and nurturing presence. A Memorial Visitation will be held on Friday, October, 2, 2020, from 4 PM to 8 PM at the Waitt Funeral Home, located at 501 Hwy. 79, Morganville, NJ. A Memorial Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, October, 3, 2020, at St. Benedicts Church, Holmdel. Due to covid restrictions and limited capacity at the church, the Memorial Funeral Mass will be private. Online condolences can be given at www.waittfh.com. In addition and in the spirit of education, a GoFundMe has been set up as a college fund for her daughter Catharine. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-the-merlo-family From her daughter Catharine: My mom was the best mom ever! I'm going to miss her so much! She played such a big role in my life, and she will never be forgotten! She was so well loved! She always had a life lesson and gave the best advice! I definitely wouldn't be where I am today without her! She was also the best dance mom! She always made me feel better before I went on stage! I'm going to miss all of my hugs before bed, when I wake up, after getting off stage, and just whenever I wanted one! It's going to take a lot of getting used to without her, along with it now only being my dad and I in the house. It's going to feel weird without her at holidays especially my birthday. I'm going to miss you so much mom!!

Patricia A. Merlo

March 17, 1967 - September 14, 2020