Lee DeMarco

Lena (Lee) Fusco DeMarco, 97, of Bloomfield, NJ passed away peacefully on November 25, 2025 while surrounded by her loving family. The eldest daughter of Italian immigrants, she was born and raised in Newark, NJ, where she graduated from Barringer High School in only three years.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in education with certification as a French teacher from Montclair State College, and a second teaching certification in elementary education from Newark State College (now Kean University). After teaching French at East Rutherford High School, Lee served as a Fourth Grade Teacher at Oak View School in Bloomfield for 33 years, during which time she touched the lives of hundreds of students.

Lee was a parishioner at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Bloomfield for over seventy years. She was a daily communicant after her retirement from teaching, and served the parish as a Eucharistic Minister, Member of the Parish Council, and Sacristan. She was also a member of the Rosary Society and September Club. Additionally, Lee volunteered for many years at Meals on Wheels and in the Pastoral Center at Clara Maass Hospital. 

Although she did some traveling throughout her life, she was happiest when she was home with her family. She was very active and influential in the lives of her grandsons and great-grandchildren, helping to instill within them the importance of education and faith.

Lee was predeceased by her parents, Silvestro and Esterina Fusco; her sister and brother-in-law, Anne and Joseph Dukiet; and her son-in-law, Raymond Rowe. She is survived by her devoted children Marianne M. DeMarco, Patricia DeMarco Rowe, and George (Judy) DeMarco. Lee was the proud grandmother of Jason (Anne Swanson) Rowe and Jonathan Rowe, and the cherished great-grandmother of Luca, Matteo, and Gabriel Swanson-Rowe, and Brielle and Nathan Rowe. She remained exceptionally close to her niece, Joanne Ciurczak.

Lee was blessed to live a long and happy life, which was rooted in her strong Catholic faith. She will be greatly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing and loving her.

Friends and family are invited to celebrate Lee’s life. A wake will be held on Sunday, November 30, 2025 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm at Halpin-Bitecola Brookdale Funeral Home, 1284 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, December 1, 2025 at 10:45 am at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 60 Byrd Avenue, Bloomfield, NJ. Entombment will immediately follow at Holy Cross Mausoleum, 340 Ridge Road, North Arlington, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research or to a charity of your choice.