Theresa McCue

Theresa McCue

AGE: 91 • Red Bank

Theresa "Terry" (Fuga) McCue, 91, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013, surrounded by her loving family. She was the daughter of the late Joseph and Maria (Peloso) Fuga, and predeceased by her husband, Marty, in 2012. Born in Zenson di Piave, Italy, Terry came to the United States in 1922 when she was just five months old, living first in Stamford, NY, and then settling with her family in Long Branch.

After graduating from Long Branch High School in 1939, Terry earned a scholarship to the American School of Design in New York City. When she completed her art studies, she was hired by a company that created window displays for major Fifth Avenue department stores. When WWII began, she worked as a draftsman at Fort Monmouth. After several years, she joined Vogel's Department Store in Long Branch ultimately becoming Display and Advertising Director.

After marrying and starting a family, Terry continued her career working freelance for Vogel's, Monmouth Mall and Artlin Mills in Long Branch. At Artlin Mills, she enjoyed a 30-year career designing towels, linens and other nationally distributed products, and managing its advertising. Over the course of her lifetime, Terry earned awards for her store displays, commercial artwork, and her own paintings. A member of the Art Society of Monmouth County, she also had a successful business with her pen and ink house portraits, and a number of them are now on display at the Red Bank Public Library.

At the age of 65, Terry enrolled in Brookdale Community College and earned her associates degree in 1988. During this time, she also took up tap dancing (participating in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade) and enrolled in computer classes.

Her art career provided many rewards, but Terry's volunteer work with the Monmouth County Mental Health Association provided special meaning. In 1983, she was one of four women who founded the Family & Friends for Mental Health support group for those who have loved ones diagnosed with mental illness, and was active with the group until 2003. Since its founding, Family & Friends has helped thousands of families, and in 1991 the New Jersey Alliance for the Mentally Ill presented Terry with its Family Volunteer Award for her work.

Terry's devotion to her family always took top priority. Over their 65-year marriage, Terry and Marty raised six children instilling strong values, self-sufficiency and love of adventure. A talented seamstress, Terry enjoyed sewing clothes for her grandchildren and children (including her daughters' wedding dresses), and putting her creativity to work on everything from Halloween costumes, to event decorations, to one-of-a-kind holiday cards.

Terry was a longtime communicant of Star of the Sea Church in Long Branch, and joined St. James Catholic Church in Red Bank where she was a Eucharistic minister.

Surviving her are Peggy Correa of Fair Haven, Martin T. McCue of Pittsford, NY and his wife, Kathy, Nancy McCue and her husband Rick Theriault of Downingtown, PA, Paul McCue of Freehold and his wife, Charlene, and Christine McCue Potts of Medfield, MA, and her husband, Jerry Potts. In addition to husband Marty, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Joan McCue, and son-in-law, Drew Correa.

Terry is also survived by her sisters, Pietra ("Bea") Stella and Ann Schulz, and her 11 grandchildren, Joe and Anne Correa, Adam and Erin McCue, Katie and Christopher Theriault, Matthew and Rebekah McCue, and Ryan, Sean and Alana Potts.

Visitation is from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29 at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St., Red Bank. A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30 at St. James Church in Red Bank, followed by interment at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, West Long Branch. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Monmouth County Mental Health Association or Red Bank Public Library.