Margaret M. "Peggy" Marlow

September 2, 1938 – January 31, 2026

Margaret M. Marlow, lovingly known to family and friends as Peggy, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. She was 87 years old.

Peggy was born on September 2, 1938, in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York, the second of four children born to Mary and Michaelangelo Zappalorti. Michael, Jr. her oldest, and James the youngest brother predeceased Peggy. Her younger brother Robert currently resides in Toms River, NJ. She grew up surrounded by family and carried those deep family bonds with her throughout her life.

In 1958, Peggy married Harry Coleman, and together they raised four children, first in Rosebank and later in Eltingville on Staten Island. Following their divorce in 1972, Peggy faced life with courage and determination as a single mother. She broke barriers by becoming the first woman to work as a salesperson in the furniture department at Sears and Roebuck in the Staten Island Mall—a role that spoke to her quiet strength and resolve. More importantly, she was a devoted mother and a steady presence not only to her own children, but to many neighborhood children on Retford Avenue, offering guidance, encouragement, and care.

In 1975, during an evening out dancing with friends at the Inn By The Wayside in Staten Island, Peggy shared a dance—the "bump"—with a man who would become the great love of her life, Richard "Richie" Marlow. After a decade of courtship, they were married on May 18, 1985, beginning a partnership that would span forty devoted years.

Peggy and Richie made their home in Great Kills, Staten Island, later moving to Middletown, and eventually settling in the Menlo Park Terrace section of Woodbridge Township, where they lived for 25 years. Peggy worked as an administrative assistant at Century 21 Main Street Realty in Woodbridge, a position from which she eventually retired. She took pride in her work and valued the relationships she built along the way.

A woman of faith, Peggy was a communicant of Transfiguration of the Lord Parish in Edison.

Peggy is survived by her beloved husband of forty years, Richard Marlow; her daughters, Barbara Coleman of Claremont, California, Elizabeth Sutton and her husband Andrew of Eloy, Arizona, and Suzette Dow of Windsor, California; her son, Ronald Coleman and his wife Yvonne of Claremont, California; her brother, Robert Zappalorti of Toms River; and her cherished grandchildren, Harper Coleman, Mateo Coleman, Daniel Dow, and Vera Dow. She was deeply loved and will be profoundly missed.

Visitation for family and friends will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at Costello-Greiner Funeral Home, 44 Green Street, Woodbridge, New Jersey 07095.