Marie H. Bartolai, 94, formerly of Hughestown, passed away peacefully on Friday morning, November 03, 2023, at the Meadows Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Dallas. She had been a resident at the Meadows Manor over the past 4 years.

Born on August 22, 1929, in Flemington, New Jersey, Marie was one of four children born to the late Vincent Galuska and Sophie Pryga Galuska.

Marie graduated from East Side High School, Newark, New Jersey, and went on to receive her nursing degree from St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing, Patterson, New Jersey. Following her graduation from nursing school, Marie worked at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Elizabeth, New Jersey and the Visiting Nurses Association of Eastern Union County, New Jersey.

In January of 1956, Marie relocated to Pittston and began working as a nurse at the former Pittston Hospital. In 1958, she left the workforce to become a full-time mom and homemaker. During those years she often used her nursing skills to tend to the bumps and bruises of neighborhood children, as well caring for ailing family members and neighbors. Eventually returning to workforce, Marie was employed for many years by the Visiting Nurses Association of Luzerne County, retiring from there.

A woman of faith, Marie was a longtime member of the former Blessed Sacrament Church, Hughestown and, following its closure, attended Mass at various local churches.

Marie was an active volunteer with Meals on Wheels of Pittston and Project DJ (Donating Joy), a quilting group that makes quilts for seriously ill children as well as children suffering from accidents, fires, or other traumas.

Marie had a wide variety of interests and hobbies. She enjoyed traveling around the world and taking pictures of the many beautiful sights within each country.  Some of her hobbies included sewing and quilting; collecting light house figures and Norman Rockwell memorabilia; gardening; and genealogy.

For more than 30 years, Marie enjoyed hosting the annual Galuska Family Reunion at her home in Hughestown – it was the highlight of each summer. Proud of her Polish heritage, Marie used her genealogy skills to research her family roots, and she even attended evening classes to learn how to speak Polish to prepare for a trip to Poland where she visited newly discovered relatives.

Actively involved in the lives of her four grandchildren, Marie attended the various sporting events and school activities in which they were involved, and she never hesitated to babysit her grandchildren, mend a pocket, fix a hem, sew in a button, or iron a shirt for anyone in her family.

In addition to her parents, Vincent and Sophie Galuska, Marie was preceded in death by her sister Janette D’Alessio; and her brother, Edward Galuska.

Left to cherish her memory are her three sons, Albert Bartolai and his wife, Lorraine, Swoyersville; Vincent Bartolai and his wife, Elizabeth, Allentown; and Raymond Bartolai and his partner, Cindy Bloom, Dallas; her four grandchildren, R.J. Bartolai and his wife, Rachel, Clarks Summit; Alena Ezeilo and her husband, Chido, Pittsburgh; Joseph Bartolai, State College; and Janice Forbes and her husband, Derek, Ocean City, New Jersey; her five great-grandchildren, Lucca and Cassandra Bartolai; and Ezra, Adaeze, and Jezreel Ezeilo; her brother, Joseph Galuska, South Plainfield, New Jersey; along with numerous nieces and nephews.

Marie’s family would like to thank the director and all the staff at the Meadows Manor for the love and care they bestowed upon their mom throughout her many years of residence there. They also wish to express their appreciation and gratitude to the staff of Hospice of the Sacred Heart for the kind, dignified, and loving care they provided during her final days.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the funeral which will be conducted on Thursday, November 09, 2023, at 9:30 AM from the Wroblewski Funeral Home, Inc., 1442 Wyoming Avenue, Forty Fort, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10:00 AM in Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, 116 Hughes Street, Swoyersville, with the Reverend Father Paul A. McDonnell, O.S.J., family friend, officiating.

Interment with the Rite of Committal will follow in Mount Olivet Roman Catholic Cemetery, Carverton section of Kingston Township.

Family and friends are invited to attend Marie’s viewing which will be held on Wednesday, November 08, 2023, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, at the funeral home.

To share a message of condolence with Marie’s family, you may visit the funeral home’s website, www.wroblewskifuneralhome.com, or Facebook page.

Marie had requested that no flowers be sent for her funeral, as her family will provide her favorite floral arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Marie’s honor to the Meadows Manor Auxiliary, 200 Lake Street, Dallas, PA 18612. All donations will go toward the purchase of a handicap accessible van for residents’ transportation.

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