Couple named ‘Celts of the Year’

Marie and Matthew Veth will be recognized by the The Greenwood Lake Gaelic Cultural Society as the “2023 Celts of the Year.”

A traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner dance will be held on March 4 in their honor at the Arthur Finnegan American Legion Post 1443 in Greenwood Lake at 7:30 p.m.

Marie Veth was born in the Bronx on July 15, 1963, to Robert “Tex” and Angela Ritter. She is the second of four children, which include her sisters Rosanne and Terry, and her late brother, Robert Jr. She attended Our Lady of Solace Grammar School in the Morris Park section of the Bronx.

Her family moved to Greenwood Lake in December 1976 and made their home in Forest Knolls. She graduated from the GWL Middle School in 1977 and Monroe-Woodbury High School in 1981.

A 21-year member of Local 1262 UFCW as a salesclerk for Shop Rite Supermarkets in West Milford, N.J., she is also a member of the Greenwood Lake Elks Lodge 2067 and The Greenwood Lake Gaelic Cultural Society. She has volunteered for the Senior Center tricky trays and with many Friend in Need Fundraisers in the village.

Matthew Veth was born in the Bronx on Jan. 17, 1962, to Margaret and Joseph Veth. He is the youngest of four children, which include brothers, Michael, and the late Joseph “Buddy,” and sister, Margaret. He attended St. Raymond’s and Sacred Heart Grammar Schools in the Parkchester section of the Bronx. After completing his freshman year at St. Raymond’s Boys High School, his family converted their summer cottage in Furnace Brook and made Greenwood Lake their year-round home in 1977. He graduated from Monroe-Woodbury High School in 1980 and earned an associate’s degree in Business Management from Orange County Community College in 1983. He has worked in telecommunications and Information Technology for over 38 years.

A member, a Past Exalted Ruler, and current trustee of the Greenwood Lake Elks Lodge 2067, he is a member and trustee of the Greenwood Lake Gaelic Cultural Society and a member of the Sons of the American Legion GWL Post 1443. He is also the Village of Greenwood Lake’s representative on the Greenwood Lake Bi-State Commission, and the historian for the Lake George Donzi Classic Club.

The couple married in 1985 and have two children: Joseph, of Austin Texas, and Jamie, of Miami Florida. They spent many spring days coaching Little League and girls softball while running Holy Rosary’s CYO Basketball Program in the fall.

When their nest was empty, they put time into their community and volunteered and organized several charitable events such as: a dinner to benefit the Lt. Louis E. Allen Scholarship; volunteering on the Bowling for the GWL Food Pantry committee; the Sunday Fun Day with Bronx Street games to benefit the Hudson Valley Honor Flight; and many trivia events and cornhole tournaments to benefit veteran causes, local charities, and organizations.