Former County Commissioner Lillian G. Burry, 89 of Colts Neck, passed away peacefully, Thursday, August 28^th.

Mrs. Burry was born in New York City, attended public schools and Wagner College, graduating Cum Laude with a B.A. Degree in Political Science & History. She was elected to the National History Fraternity and in 2005 was granted the Wagner College Fellow in Political Science.

Mrs. Burry began her public service as a councilwoman in Matawan Borough. After moving to Colts Neck, she served as Committeewoman, Deputy Mayor, and Mayor, making her mark in historic preservation and open space conservation. Mrs. Burry negotiated the purchase of the Montrose schoolhouse, the only publicly owned one-room schoolhouse in Colts Neck. This was accomplished at the cost of $1 from the township’s former Historical Society.

Elected to the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders in November 2005, she was reelected in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017 and reelected to the Board of County Commissioners in 2020. She served as the first woman Director in 2008 and again in 2010, 2014 and 2017. She was the liaison to the Board of Elections, Planning Board, Agricultural Board, and Consumer Affairs.

Mrs. Burry was appointed to the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority serving as Vice Chair and to the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, where she chaired the Veterans Affairs Sub-Committee and served on the Real Estate Sub-Committee. She was appointed by the Commissioner of the Interior, to the Fort Hancock 21st Century Advisory Committee for the National Park Service.

Mrs. Burry received many awards including the Marine Corps League Distinguished Citizen, the Sheriff ’s Officers Fraternal Order of Police Person of the Year, the Historical Association’s Person of the Year, the Latino American Association’s Outstanding Community Member and won the Eastern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce Spinnaker Award for Public Service.

She was awarded the 2017 Silver Gull Award’s Presidential Award, as well as, the 2017 NJ Women of Achievement Award from the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs; the Monmouth Council Boy Scouts of America (BSA) “Good Scout” Award in 2019 for her leadership and commitment to service at the 20th Annual Good Scouts of Western Monmouth; the Township of Ocean Historical Museum – History Champion Award in 2019; the Brookdale Community College’s Wilbur Ray Community Service Award in April 2020 for exceptional commitment to the community; and the Community Public Servants Award from the Vin Gopal Civic Association in May 2022.

Additionally, Commissioner Burry received the Outstanding Service to Agriculture Award and was Grand Marshal of the Open Space Pace Parade and she received the first Count Basie Vanguard Award for lifetime devotion to the Arts. In 2015, she received the first M. Claire French Award, recognizing her leadership in Historical Preservation and in 2016, the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore honored her as a Women of Distinction.

Recently brought to fruition a joint effort by the Vocational Schools, National Park System, and the Freeholders to reconstruct Buildings 23 and 56 on Fort Hancock for the Marine Academy of Science and Technology.

Working in a collaborative effort with the Soldier On organization she found a home for homeless veterans of Monmouth County that opened in November 2021. In May 2023, a Veterans Community Wing was named for Commissioner Burry.

Lillian was in business for more than 40 years as owner and broker of record of Colts Neck Realty. Married to Donald, a retired Captain from the Coast Guard, they have one daughter and two grandchildren.

Lillian is pre-deceased by her parents, Luigi Beneforti and Rina Beneforti (nee Scotto).

She is survived by her beloved husband of 70 years, Donald L. Burry; her daughter, Lenore Manicioto and her husband Robert Burns of Atlantic Highlands; her sister Alba DiBello and her husband Patrick of Shrewsbury; her grandchildren Stephanie Manicioto and her partner James, Vito Manicioto and his wife Pamela; and great-grandchildren Luca, Lorenzo and Rocco.

Visitation will be held on Monday, September 8 from 4pm – 8pm at the Holmdel Funeral Home, 26 S. Holmdel Road, Holmdel. Funeral service will be on Tuesday, September 9 at 11am at Colts Neck Reformed Church, 139 Rt 537, Colts Neck. Burial will follow at Atlantic Cemetery, Colts Neck.

In lieu of flowers, at the family’s request donations can be made to Colts Neck Reformed Church.