Martha Bombardier

It is with unimaginable sadness and regret that we share the passing of our beautiful and brave mother, Martha Daley Bombardier, 74, of Fair Lawn, NJ on Sunday, November 3rd, surrounded by her sons and her precious rescue dog Lucky, after a long and courageous battle with Pancreatic cancer.
Martha was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Born and raised in NYC, Martha was the daughter of the late Dorothy and Harold Daley. She met and fell in love with Dennis Bombardier, and they shared 54 years of marriage together. Martha was born and raised in Manhattan, NY until the age of 9 when, along with her mom and four siblings, the family moved to Jerome Avenue in Bronx, NY. Martha always embodied the strength, resilience and grit that made her a true "Bronx girl" and she exuded that strength, courage and bravery in all that she did, including her unbelievably brave battle with cancer. We always joked that you can take the girl out of the Bronx, but you can't take the Bronx out of the girl.
As a young child and then a teenager growing up in the Bronx, Martha enjoyed spending time with her close group of special friends who all still remain in touch. Martha would often reminisce fondly about her wonderful carefree days as a child and teenager in the Bronx and all the fun times she and her friends had playing together underneath the stairwell in their apartment building, running through the water in the street when they'd open the fire hydrants on hot summer days, sleigh riding down the "big hill" at St. James Park in the wintertime, and sneaking into Fords Bar with her babyface, staying under the radar long enough to have a few beers with her friends and making new ones thanks to her fun loving spirit.
In 1972, Martha moved from NYC to New Jersey, living for a short time in Rochelle Park before settling in Fair Lawn in 1975 where she assumed her most important role of her life, that of a loving, kind, caring mother. Prior to starting a family, Martha worked as a cashier at the Associated Supermarket in the Bronx located across the street from the family's apartment. It was while working as a cashier, Martha met her future husband, Dennis. After graduating from high school, Martha went to work as a secretary at National Distillers in NYC, where she worked right up until she gave birth to her first child, Dennis. From this point, Martha's primary role was that of a loving and caring mother who was always there when one of her kids needed her.
Martha loved the sun, the beach and spending time in the water. As a teenager, she and her friends would often take the bus to Ortley Beach where they would lather themselves up in baby oil and frolic at the beach all day, making their way back to the city sunburned and tired, time and time again. While growing up in Fair Lawn, Martha joined Memorial Pool where she and her four children would spend countless hours each day during the summertime. Martha somehow always kept track of where each of her four boys was at any given moment, and somehow found a few moments to enjoy the sun herself. Once and a while Martha would treat her kids to a "special treat" and order a hot dog, french fries or ice cream from the concession stand at the pool. These are just a few examples of how Martha enjoyed the simple things in life, and passed this on to her children. Many years later, she would discover Asbury Park, her true "happy place" where she spent many summer days on the beach, walking on the boardwalk, and spending time with her children and grandchildren.
As a young child, Martha spent a few summers at Camp Vacamas, a sleepaway camp in upstate New Jersey, giving her the opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of NYC and enjoy time outside in nature, making new friends, getting dirty and loving every minute of it. Later, as a teenager, she spent several summers with her family at a small cabin the family rented on a lake in Connecticut. She would often share fond memories of those summers, barefoot and fancy free.
Martha gave her children the best childhood anyone could ask for and instilled the important values of hard work, saving money, and enjoying the small things in life. As young children growing up in Fair Lawn, NJ, Martha scrimped and saved every penny to give her children the best life possible. One thing that gave her so much happiness and pleasure was scouting out garage sales and figuring out the most efficient way to get from sale to another in the least amount of time. Martha had a large laminated map of Fair Lawn that she would fully color code and mark with stickers to denote the location of each garage sale that weekend and the best route to follow to maximize her precious time. Nothing made Martha happier than spotting a garage sale while driving down the road and veering off for a quick pit stop to check out what bargains may await.
Martha recognized that it's not about how much money someone has, the kind of car they drive or the type of clothes they wear, it's about being happy with what you have, enjoying the small things and living by the "Golden Rule," to treat others the way you want to be treated. This was something that was instilled in Martha by her mother, and passed along to her children as a guiding principle to live by. Martha's big heart and love also extended to animals and she rescued many dogs and cats over the years and gave them a wonderful life and made countless contributions to the ASPCA and other animal rescue organizations. Martha taught her children the importance of being kind to animals, always reminding others that animals can't help themselves, so it's up to us to treat them with kindness and compassion. Martha had many pets in her lifetime and some left an indelible mark on her and the family, including Buster, Charlie and, later in life, her cherished rescue/therapy dog, Lucky. Martha adopted Lucky from St. Hubert's Animal Shelter in 2021 and he never left her side. What made Lucky intriguing to Martha was that he only has three legs, having lost a leg due to mistreatment and injury early in life. Martha was so happy and proud to adopt Lucky, the oddball that most others would not have wanted. That is what makes Martha such a special person and exemplifies her immense love and empathy for others.
While raising her family in Fair Lawn, Martha also assumed many part time jobs to supplement the family's income and nothing was beneath her. Whether it was cleaning houses, driving children to school, providing after-school childcare, and working as a teacher's aide at a local nursery school, Martha had an unyielding work ethic that was instilled in her by her mother. Martha's longest and most fulfilling role was working for the Fair Lawn Board of Education as both a Lunch Aide and Secretary for the Fair Lawn Community School, a job she held for 37 years, before retiring in May 2023. Martha started with the Fair Lawn Board of Education as a Lunch Aide at Radburn Elementary School, where she worked for over 25 years. Martha enjoyed being a lunch aide and found much fulfillment and satisfaction in this role which also allowed her to forge relationships with many of the neighborhood kids that her own children were friends with. In her role as a lunch aide, Martha was firm but fair, and never tolerated any type of bullying or unkind behavior between and among the students. Martha often recalled how she felt when she was picked on as a child, and made sure that every child she encountered, including her own, treated each other with kindness and respect. Martha treated all of the neighborhood kids the same way she treated her own, and they loved her for it.
We can only hope to live our lives in a way that makes her proud and captures her kind and caring essence, loving spirit, zest for life, and unyielding empathy for others that made her a true angel on earth and, now, a guardian angel who will no doubt continue to spread her bright, beautiful radiant light on all of us.
Martha is survived by her son, John Bombardier and son-in-law Richard Boyd of Old Bridge, NJ; her son Nicholas Bombardier and daughter-in-law Jensen of Springfield NJ; her son Michael Bombardier of Towson, Maryland; her brother Larry Daley; her beautiful and adored granddaughters, Audrey and Arya; and by her many nieces and nephews. Martha was predeceased by her beloved son, Dennis Michael Bombardier, her husband, Dennis William Bombardier, brothers, Tom and Harold "Cookie" Daley and her sister Theresa Bukovsky. The memory of Martha Bombardier's warmth and kindness will forever be etched in the hearts of her family and friends
A visitation will be held on Friday, November 8, 2024 from 3:00pm-7:00pm at Old Bridge Funeral Home, 2350 Rte 516, Old Bridge, NJ.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2024 from 11:00am-12:00pm at Old Bridge Funeral Home, 2350 Rte 516, Old Bridge, NJ.