Obituary of Irene Kelly Eby

Irene Kelly Leslie Eby passed away on April 30, 2025, at The Oaks at Denville, NJ. She was born in Summit, NJ, and resided in Medford, NJ, prior to moving to Denville 9 years ago.

Irene graduated from Summit High School in 1950 and worked for DataPro Research Corporation, Delran, NJ, for 11 years until her retirement in 1987.

Irene was married to her high school sweetheart, James I. Leslie, in April 1953 and began a life as the wife of an Air Force officer. That life was filled with moving – calling many places home: Illinois (Scott AFB), West Germany (Landsburg), Ohio (Wright-Patterson AFB), Norway (NATO base), Illinois (again at Scott AFB), and finally, back to New Jersey (Maguire AFB). All of those homes gave her a chance to get to know so many people and places. Her husband, James, passed away in 1989.

In 1992, Irene married Landis Eby. He passed away in 2007.

Travel was to be an experience she was able to enjoy for many years. It continued even after the years in the military. There are few places she was not able to experience during her lifetime. She was blessed to have two husbands who loved experiencing the world with her.

Irene is survived by her children, James Leslie and his wife Debra Hoffmaster, of Adrian, MI, and Linda Murphy and her husband, Richard Murphy, of Morristown, NJ, and Clyde “Tommy” McGahee, of Mechanicsville, MD, (the partner of her late daughter, Patricia Tesler).  She was predeceased by her daughter, Patricia Tesler, in 2023.

She is also survived by her cherished grandchildren, Michael Murphy, Cynthia Murphy, Andrew Leslie and his wife, Maddy Meztger, and William Leslie, as well as her brother, John D. Kelly, Rome, NY, and five nieces and nephews and three great-grandchildren.

Family and friends are welcome to gather on Monday, May 12, 2025 from 4-7pm, with a service scheduled at 6:30pm, at Dangler Funeral Home, 600 Speedwell Avenue, Morris Plains, NJ. Interment will take place on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at 11:30am at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, Wrightstown, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Irene’s memory to the VNA of Northern New Jersey (www.vnannj.org).