Obituary of Marian L. Malanga
A Legacy of Kindness and Love
Marian Louise Malanga, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and the cherished smile of Malanga Farms, passed away peacefully at her home in Warren, New Jersey, on January 2, 2024, at the age of 90.
Born on April 18, 1933, in Plainfield, New Jersey, to Frank and Edith Callahan, Marian's life was a beautiful tapestry woven with love, kindness, and community spirit. A proud graduate of Plainfield High School, Marian's journey was marked by serendipity and love. It was at Gruning’s Ice Cream Parlor while working in a role she endearingly referred to as a "soda jerk," that she met her lifelong partner, Jerry Malanga. Their meeting at Gruning’s blossomed into a loving marriage on November 20, 1955, at Saint Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in North Plainfield.
Marian's professional path saw her as a dedicated private secretary at Mack Trucks, but her heart called her toward the joys of motherhood and homemaking. In 1975, Marian and Jerry embarked on a new adventure, breathing life into Johnson's Farm in Warren, lovingly renamed Malanga Farms. Marian's warm smile and genuine kindness became the heart of Malanga Farms, welcoming every customer like family.
Her life was a testament to strength and compassion. An avid bowler, Marian found joy in simple pleasures. She was a social butterfly, whose warmth reached many through her thoughtfully penned cards, especially her 400 cherished Christmas messages. Her battle and triumph over stage four breast cancer in 2001 revealed her indomitable spirit and selfless nature, as she dedicated herself to counseling others undergoing chemotherapy, believing her experience was a means to support and uplift others.
She is predeceased by her husband Jerry, sister Gloria Corbin, brother Bob Callahan, nephew Eric Corbin, and sister-in-law Esther Callahan.
Marian is lovingly remembered by her two sons, Nicky and Chris and his wife Reneé, two granddaughters Valentina and Ellasandra, her sister Muriel “Ellie” Henne and her husband Joseph, two nephews Jeff Henne and his husband Ralph Nieder-Westermann, David Henne and his wife Liz.
Visitation will be held on Monday, January 8, 2024, from 4 to 8 PM at Higgins Home For Funerals, Watchung, NJ. Her funeral service will follow on Tuesday, January 9, at 11 AM at the same location. Cremation services will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, honoring Marian's lifelong commitment to caring and generosity.
Marian Malanga's journey on earth may have concluded, but her spirit, encapsulated in her radiant smile and boundless kindness, will continue to inspire and comfort all who were blessed to know her.
