To our Harrison family,
It is with heavy heart that I am writing you today to share some very sad news. Our longtime municipal clerk and registrar, Diane Malloy, passed away suddenly on Aug. 11. She served our community with grace for nearly 15 years. Many of us from the municipality paid our respects at her funeral service held last Wednesday (Aug. 24).
Diane lived in South Harrison Township, with her husband, Steve. Her family paid a beautiful tribute to her as a wonderful, supportive and magnificent mother. Diane cherished spending time with her husband, children, grandchildren and puppies. She famously spoiled all of them at family parties, especially during the Christmas holiday season. The family noted that Diane touched many lives and that she passed peacefully while on her dream vacation to Alaska alongside Steve.
I was honored to join the family in eulogizing Diane. To honor our friend and coworker and in appreciation for Diane’s service to Harrison Township, please allow me to share my words with you:
First, on behalf of the 14,000 residents of Harrison Township, I say thank you, Diane. Diane took tremendous pride in helping people that came to the Clerk’s window. When she engaged me, it was always with the prerequisite that ‘we need to go the extra mile for this resident’. She behaved like a paid consultant lobbying on the resident’s behalf! That is one of the things that made Diane special to our residents.
Next, on behalf of the township administrative, leadership and her fellow employees, I state the obvious: That building will not be the same without her and we all know it. Diane’s presence and spirit served as the backdrop for all things where wonderful work relationships and friendships were formed, she will be missed greatly.
On behalf of the current and former township committee members, we all thank you Diane for your support and guidance all these years. Diane put a high value on her relationship with the individual committee members and saw herself as THE resource for everything and anything that we needed. We knew that and appreciated it, always…… and we love you for it, Diane.
Lastly, for me personally, our paths crossed when I first became Mayor in January 2008. Diane had recently started in the clerk’s role and in the early years, we always joked that we were “learning as we went”. And we were. But once she got her legs under her as Clerk (which was before I did the same as Mayor), she was a beast. She wanted to know and understand what we were doing and why we were doing it on all fronts.
I recall a conversation, years ago, when I think I said (in the face of a question she asked about something we were doing), “You know the role of the clerk is to facilitate the decisions and actions of the Mayor and Committee and just make sure that we adhere to all the statutes” and she gave me that look. So, I quickly said, “Ok, why don’t I explain why we are doing this and then you can tell me what you think?” Diane was involved and she loved her role.
She grew to become very protective of us on Committee and everything that we were doing, and Diane was fiercely loyal. True, unconditional loyalty is rare and fleeting, but whoever coined the phrase “I’ve got your back”, must have known Diane Malloy. Personally, she was my biggest supporter, and I will miss our daily interactions and hearing her talk about her family. I will even miss her glare at township committee meetings encouraging me to “just get on with it.”
All of us who were lucky enough to know and work with Diane over the past 15 years, will truly miss her.
As you and your family enjoy the holiday weekend, please take a moment to think of our Diane, her husband Steve, and their family.
Wishing you and yours a happy and safe Labor Day holiday.
