Obituary of Mary F. Hinchcliff

Mary F. Hinchcliff, 94, of Freehold Township, passed away at home on Saturday June 8, 2024, with her loving family by her side. She was born in 1929 at her family’s home in East Harlem and was raised in the Bronx and had lived in New York and Massachusetts before settling in Freehold Township. Mary was born to Angelina and Stefano Spataro, who emigrated from Celico, in Cozenza, Italy in 1919. She was the youngest of six children.

She always valued education, graduating from James Monroe High School in the Bronx and Hunter College, and later receiving her master’s from CCNY. She was a member of the sorority Alpha Sigma Rho. In September 1952, Mary began her career as a teacher at P.S. 102 in Manhattan, where she taught 2nd and 3rd grade.

Mary and her husband moved to Stonehurst in Freehold Township in 1967, where they raised their family. She was a former member of the Molly Pitcher Women's Club and was known for her involvement in her children's schooling, Girl Scouts, and PTA. She and her husband were dedicated fundraisers for CentraState Medical Center, with their names honored on the wall to this day.

Mary enjoyed spending winters at her second family home in Vero Beach, Florida. In her free time, she enjoyed art, reading, cooking, and solving sudoku and crossword puzzles. In her last years, she rested comfortably in her beautiful home, surrounded by love and tender care by a circle of special caregivers who added much to the quality of her days. The family wishes to express their appreciation and gratitude to those many caregivers.

She is predeceased by her husband, Frederick Clayton Hinchcliff; son, Frederick W. Hinchcliff; parents, Stefano and Angelina Spataro; siblings, Rose Caspare, Josephine Giordano, Eva Romagnoli, Leo Spataro and Biaggio Spataro.

Mary is survived by her four children, Dorothy Hinchcliff Goodrich and her husband, Jerry, of Oakhurst; Lydia Bourgeois of Oakhurst; Maria Hinchcliff and her husband, Paul Kenworthy, of Cream Ridge; and Alison Hinchcliff Perry and her former husband, Tom, of Cream Ridge; four grandchildren, Alexandria Bourgeois, Emily Perry, Clayton Perry and Christopher Goodrich, and many nieces, nephews and extended family members. 

A visitation will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, from 11:00 to 1:30 PM with her funeral service to follow.  Entombment will take place at Maplewood Cemetery, 169 West Main Street, Freehold Township, NJ 07728. For those who desire, memorial donations may be made in Mary’s name may be made to the Epilepsy Foundation, 8301 Professional Place, Suite 200, Landover, MD 20785 or The American Cancer Society, 2310 Route 34, Manasquan, NJ 08736.  For information, directions, or to leave condolence messages to the family, please visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com