Tony’s Baltimore Grill Says Goodbye to Beloved “Witch” Marlene

Marlene Harmon, known to many in Atlantic City for her sharp wit and her love of Halloween and dressing up as a witch, passed away earlier this month at the age of 75.

I became familiar with Marlene from her job as a cashier at Tony's Baltimore Grill in Atlantic City, where she had a way of giving you her brutally honest opinion in addition to giving you change for your bill.

Tony's Baltimore Grill posted a loving and funny tribute to Marlene on Facebook. More on that in a second, but first, a little about Marlene's life.

According to her obituary, Marlene grew up in Philadelphia and moved to Atlantic City in her 20s for work and to raise her sons, Alex & Jason. My condolences to her family.

The obit says that Marlene worked on the Boardwalk before moving on to Bally's Casino for about 20 years and then wound up behind the cash register at Tony's.

With her quick wit and effortless ability to make people laugh, she made lifelong friends at every job she had. She loved everything Lucille Ball.

Grandmom Broom was a loving nickname that was given to her by her grandchildren because of her love of Halloween. She was a loyal and loving person who will be dearly missed by all who loved her.

Tony's Baltimore Grill Remembers Marlene

If you don't follow Tony's Baltimore Grill on social media, you are truly missing out.

The posts about the famous pizza eatery, aka "The Joint," are crass, endearing, and funny as hell, kind of like overhearing a late-night conversation during a backroom poker game.

Tony's Facebook post began by saying that Marlene might have been the best employee ever at TBG, but not for the reasons you would think.

Not because she provided great service- We all know that this wasn’t her priority! Marlene was, unapologetically, her FULL self at Tony’s. She could barely hear & regularly was shouting at clients on the phone. In her defense, the phones have always been a nightmare. Marlene loved to dress like a witch. At work! and she wouldn’t hesitate to threaten to cast a spell on a customer. And we encouraged it.

Halloween was her Super Bowl. Every day she was at Tony’s, she was comfortable being herself. and we loved her for it. what more could we ask for? In addition to her regular trash talking, you always knew where you stood with her.

The Facebook post breaks down exactly why the restaurant staff loved Marlene in language that she would understand. Straightforward, honest, and loving all at once. It's a beautiful thing.

I think it’s bc Marlene felt LOVED & SEEN for who she really was, not for her ability to work a cash register at a stupid pizza place. I love this woman. I always did. From the first second, she accepted me for who I was. She never wanted me to be different. I was enough. Marlene and her imperfections were exactly what made her, and Tony’s, PERFECT for each other.....

I’m not sure if shes resting in eternal peace or if she’s breaking the devil balls. Either way, we surely mourn the loss of a woman who cast a never ending spell on all of us in her perfectly weird & wonderful way. We Love you Marlene, always & forever. The Joint.