Obituary of Marilyn D. Kinelski

Marilyn D Kinelski, 77, of Howell Township passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with ALS on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.  Marilyn was born on Staten Island and raised in Totowa, NJ.  Upon marrying, she returned to Staten Island to live.  Marilyn was named the 1^st  Miss Congeniality of the Miss Staten Island Scholarship Pagent in 1968. She then worked as a schoolteacher for the Eltingville Lutheran School, teaching 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grades as well as the children’s choir.  Staying in the education field, Marilyn moved on to the position of the Associate Director of Admissions for Wagner College.  She moved to Howell Township in 1983 to start a family and take on the greatest job of all, a fulltime mom.  Marilyn then worked for the Freehold Community Alliance.  She then became a State Certified Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist for Prevention First in Ocean Township retiring in 2010. 

A woman of faith, Marilyn was a member and past Lay Leader of the Church of the Master, Howell.  She also was a past District Lay Leader of the Northern Shore District of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference.  Most recently, Marilyn became a member Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem and was a past Prior of the St. George Priory of New Jersey and a delegate to the United Nations. 

She was an avid golfer and relished her time playing the piano but the most important thing to her was her family.  Being a devoted wife of forty-five years, a loving mother and now a grandmother is what Marilyn enjoyed the most.

Marilyn was predeceased by her parents, Leonard and Martha Dobbin and her brother, L. Jeffery Dobbin.  She is survived by her husband, Kenneth Kinelski; a son, Rob Kinelski and his wife, Jamie; and two grandchildren, Ruby and Pepper.

A memorial service will be held at The Church of the Master in Howell, 110 Salem Hill Road, Howell, NJ on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 11:00 AM.  For those who desire, memorial contributions may be made to Joan Dancy & Pals Foundation, 1 Riverview Plaza, Red Bank, NJ 07701 or HERE.  For additional information or condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com. All arrangements are under the directions of Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township, NJ.