Mary Horvath Cavalieri

Mary Horvath Cavalieri, 88, passed away peacefully on May 10, 2025, surrounded by her loving family.

Mary was a true artist. Not just with her hands, but with her heart. Born in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn to John and Anna Horvath, Mary brought beauty, creativity, and compassion to everything she touched. As a young girl, Mary's after-school catechism classes sparked a lifelong devotion to her Catholic faith. That early connection with the Church and its community of nuns instilled in her a quiet strength and a deep sense of purpose that never left her.

From 1951 to 1954, Mary attended Straubenmuller Textile High School in Manhattan. It was there, in art class, that she met the love of her life, John Cavalieri. Their connection began on the train rides home. Mary's ride to Greenpoint and John's to Williamsburg blossomed into a beautiful partnership that would span nearly seven decades. Even back then, Mary's beauty and talent stood out. Her yearbook entry jokingly noted she was "highly dated by the boys," though we're sure John wouldn't have been too pleased to hear that!

Mary had an extraordinary eye for color, style, and harmony. Her career in the textile and design industries was a natural extension of her artistic soul. She began at a fabric house on 34th Street in New York City, selecting color combinations, and continued on to Fruit of the Loom. From there, she joined the Brewster Bleacher Company, where her visits to the South Carolina fabric manufacturing floor became a nervous event for the production teams. They would wait with anxious anticipation for Mary's approval. Her eye for color was unmatched: discerning, precise, and refined.

If Mary hadn't built a career in textiles, her family liked to joke she could've been hired to spot continuity errors in TV and movies. Most would miss a mistake. Not Mary. You could pause the movie, rewind, and Mary would say, "See, that lamp was a few inches to the left before."

Mary and John married on October 5, 1957, and began their life together in Brooklyn before settling in Marlboro, New Jersey, to raise their beloved children, Tory and Amy. As her family grew, so did Mary's professional accomplishments. She produced the first employee newsletter for the Port Authority of New York, working in the World Trade Center, then went on to become an art director for Avon's iconic catalogs and later, Grey Advertising. In the evenings, before the work was done by computer, you could often find her quietly cutting and pasting publishing corrections in next edition books for John Wiley & Sons. Mary's artistry never truly rested.

Faith remained central to her life. Mary was a devoted member of Holy Cross Church in Rumson, contributing her time and talents to the altar guild and church celebrations. Her work, whether in flowers, decorations, or helping with first holy communions, reflected her deep spirituality and generosity.

Her generosity knew no bounds. Well, unless French fries were involved. Mary never ordered the fries. Whenever you rolled up to the drive-through and asked, "Mom, do you want fries with that?" the answer was always the same. A quick "no!". But then, as the car would start moving down the road, she might fish out just one. When you got home to eat, all you had was an empty carton. You learned to stay one step ahead of Mary. Order the extra fry.

In her later years, Mary continued to work and make friends, forming close bonds while working at Byford and Mills in Little Silver and Down to Basics in Red Bank. She had a gift for seeing the beauty in the world - and in others - always offering a kind word, a soft smile, or a creative touch.

Mary didn't just create art. She lived it. While she never wanted to be the center of attention, and wanted to see others shine, her presence brightened every room. She was elegant, wise, kind, deeply caring, and endlessly talented.

Mary was truly one of a kind: an artist, a mother, a wife, a friend, and a woman of faith. She was beautiful, and she made life beautiful for those around her. She leaves behind a legacy of love, color, and grace that will live on in all who were fortunate enough to know her.

Mary is survived by her children, Tory Cavalieri of Manalapan, NJ, and Amy Callahan of Marblehead, MA. She is also survived by her four grandchildren; Emily and John Callahan, and Gianni and Dana Cavalieri as well as her daughter-in-law, Janet Cavalieri, and her son-in-law, Steve Callahan.

A Mass for Mary Cavalieri will be held on November 22, 2025, at Holy Cross Church, 30 Ward Ave, Rumson, NJ.