Mary Jo Briscione

Mary Jo Briscione

AGE: 69 • Oceanport

Mary Jo Briscione, 69, of Oceanport, died peacefully on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 at her family residence. Mary Jo was born in Newark; the daughter of John and Anne Briscione. She is survived by her younger brothers: John Briscione, Jr. (Jane) of Pensacola, FL; Gerald Briscione (Margaret) of Oceanport; and Paul Briscione (Tina) of Medford, as well as 7 nieces and nephews and 9 great nieces and nephews. Mary Jo also leaves her beloved life partner, Theo Jackson.

Mary Jo dedicated her life's work to the field of literacy education. She graduated from Long Branch High School in 1963, and returned to teach there after earning her degree in English and Journalism at Montclair State College. She retired from teaching in 2005 after 38 years of service to the youth of Long Branch, and 25 years of service to her colleagues as President of the Long Branch Federation of Teachers.

She was a passionate agent of progress in New Jersey public education and served on numerous New Jersey Department of Education and New Jersey AFT committees to develop educational standards and assessments for New Jersey public schools.

Mary Jo was an avid world traveler and enjoyed venturing to destinations near and far with family and friends. She was unbeatable at trivia games - especially when it came to geography, film, literature, history or culture. Wherever she went, she made special efforts to nurture the talents and interests of the younger members of her family and community. She was a loving sister and Auntie, and without doubt, a beloved figure in the lives of countless students as well.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, July 5 from 2 - 6 pm at the Damiano Funeral Home, 191 Franklin Ave., (corner of Third Ave.), in Long Branch. Family and friends will gather for a Mass of Christian burial to celebrate her life on Monday, July 6 at 10 am at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, 408 Prospect St., Long Branch. Interment will follow at Woodbine Cemetery, Oceanport. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made in Mary Jo's memory to the Monmouth Medical Center Foundation (place in memo "Cancer Support Community"), 300 Second Ave., Long Branch, NJ 07740; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, (place in memo "Pancreatic Cancer Dept."), 1275 York Ave., New York, NY 10065 or Lustgarten Foundation Cure for Pancreatic Cancer, 1111 Stewart Ave., Bethpage, NY 11714. Letter of condolence may be sent through the web at www.damianofuneralhome.com.