Denise Judith Papay

Denise Judith Ann Papay

September 27, 1963 – July 11, 2025

Denise Judith Ann Papay of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, beloved daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, neighbor, and friend, passed away peacefully on July 11, 2025, at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey. She was 62 years old.

Born on September 27, 1963, in Teaneck, New Jersey, Denise was the daughter of the late Mary Ellen (née Sheeran) Papay and Daniel Norman Papay. She graduated from Ridgefield Park High School and went on to earn a degree in Business and Communications from Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey.

Denise began working at the age of 15, starting in retail before moving into financial services, where she quickly excelled. She worked as a Bank Teller and was soon promoted to Client Service Associate, conducting meetings with new and existing clients. Later, she transitioned into the real estate industry, first as a Financial Accountant and ultimately as the longtime Personal and Executive Assistant to Mr. Richard Kurtz of The Kamson Corporation in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Denise dedicated 20 years of service to the company, and she is fondly remembered by the Kurtz family and her colleagues as an extraordinary person, a confidant, and a loyal, devoted, and unwaveringly dedicated member of the Kamson Family.

In her younger years, Denise had a passion for gymnastics and cheerleading. She not only excelled as a performer but also as a mentor, teaching her sister, nieces, and teammates. She proudly served as captain of both of her cheerleading squads, the Jets Midget Football League cheerleading team in Ridgefield Park and the Bulldogs Basketball cheerleading team at Bergen Community College. Denise was admired for her remarkable flexibility—often described as “double-jointed”—and was especially known for her flying Russian splits, triple back handsprings, triple back roundoffs, and an occasional combination of the three while choreographing many of her team’s cheer routines. A favorite family memory is when Denise coached her sister’s Jets cheerleading team, sharing her talent and spirit with the next generation.

A Catholic Memorial Mass will be held at Saint Philip the Apostle Church in Clifton, New Jersey, on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. , officiated by Reverend David Monteleone, Pastor.

Denise is predeceased by her parents, Mary Ellen, and Daniel Norman; her brother Donald and his wife Lorraine, her aunt Mary; her niece Lynn; and her nephews Donald, and Max-a-Million.

She is survived by her loving sisters Ellen Marie, Terri, and Cheryl, brothers Russell and his wife April, Kevin and his wife Ann; her aunt Bee and her husband Eddie, nieces Sugar and Spice, Charlene and her husband Peyton, and Tara and her husband Marc, her nephews Daniel, Scott and John; great-nieces Kristy, Kayla, Nicole, Sara, Emily, and Adriana, great nephews Daniel; Dominic, Vincent, cousins Laura, Derek and his partner Judy, Carl and his wife Jenny, as well as many other extended family members, neighbors, and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Multiple Sclerosis Center at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey .

The family offers this special prayer in Denise’s honor:

Angel of God, my guardian dear,

To whom God’s love commits me here,

Ever this day be at my side,

To light and guard, to rule and guide.

Amen.