Marion Curka

Obituary of Marion N. Curka

Marion Lillian Najim Curka, 94, passed away Sunday January 28, 2018 at Parker at McCarrick.

Mrs. Curka was born in New Bedford, MA on August 7, 1923, daughter of Mabob Peter Najim and Jamelle Mary George Najim. Both parents have predeceased her.

Mrs. Curka graduated from the Boston City Hospital School of Nursing, Boston, MA in April 1947. She was a member of the Cadet Nursing Corps, a uniform service created by Congress during WWII. She is a life member of the Nursing Schools’ Alumni Association. As a registered nurse, Mrs. Curka worked as a staff member at Muhlenberg Hospital, and did private duty nursing at other local hospitals and home nursing.

Mrs. Curka received her Bachelor of Arts, Sociology, from University College, Rutgers, the State University in 1965. In 1967 she received her Masters of Social Work degree from the Graduate School of Social Work, Rutgers, the State University.

As a social worker, she worked at the Menlo Park Diagnostic Center where her duties included preparing social histories of children involved with the New Jersey courts. Her next position was a Social Service Director at the then Middlesex General Hospital, where her duties included home care services, nursing home placements and counseling services.  

Mrs. Curka’s last position was as a Social Worker Consultant with the New Jersey State Dept. of Health. While at NJDH she worked many programs including Maternal and Child Health Services, services to women substance abusers, programs to prevent adolescent pregnancy, monitoring hospital prepartum clinics and helping to establish a program of care for victims of rape. She retired from the Senior Services Program in Sept. 1996.

Mrs. Curka was a member of many community organizations. She had been a member of the League of Women Voters, The American Association of University Women, and Emily’s List. She was a Licensed Professional Nurse, a licensed Social Worker, and a member of the National Association of Social Workers. She was a member of the Union County College Alumni Association and served on the Alumni Board of Trustees. She also established a memorial for her husband, Joseph Curka, at the Theater Project, Union College, Cranford, NJ. She was a member of the Friends of the Edison Public Library and served several terms on their Board of Trustees. As a member of the Catholic Daughters of America, Court Loretto 287, she served several terms as Court Regent. As a member of the NJ Mental Health Society, Mrs. Curka participated in the Mental Health’s problem solving programs to other community organizations.
 

Among the community agencies which Mrs. Curka supported were women’s shelters, services to women who were substance abusers, and victims of domestic violence. She also supported services to children, such as Toys for Tots, Junior Olympics and PAL.

Mrs. Curka was predeceased by her husband, Joseph Curka in 1974, a son, Paul Curka in 1996, and her brother, Raymond Najim in 1998. She is survived by her son, Dr. Peter Curka and his wife Jacqueline of Houston, TX; a sister, Elizabeth Najim of Edison; and a brother, Paul Najim and his wife Olga of Irwin, PA. She is also survived by her nieces and nephews, Robert and Lisa Najim Tewell, David and Kathy Najim, Gerald and Lydia Najim Sellers, Robert Najim and Christine Martin, along with five great nieces and three great nephews.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit on Saturday, February 3, 2018 from 8:30-9:30AM at Boylan Funeral Home, 10 Wooding Avenue, Edison. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10AM at St. Matthew the Apostle Church, Edison. Cremation will be private. 

Saturday
3
February

Visitation

8:30 am - 9:30 am
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Boylan Funeral Home Edison
10 Wooding Ave
Edison, New Jersey, United States
7325720076
Saturday
3
February

Mass

10:00 am
Saturday, February 3, 2018
St. Matthew the Apostle Church
81 Seymour Ave.
Edison, New Jersey, United States
Share Your Memory of
Marion