Colleen Catherine Zirnite Clark

Colleen Catherine Zirnite Clark, age 97, of Raritan Township, NJ, died peacefully on Thursday, February 11, 2021 at home, under the supportive care of Hunterdon Hospice.

Born in Berwyn, IL, April 23, 1923, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Agnes Ross Bussey. Colleen was raised in Cranford, NJ and had formerly lived in Somerset, Whitehouse Station and Lebanon, NJ, prior to moving to Raritan Township several years ago.

Graduating with a BA from Douglass College at Rutgers University, Colleen was a journalist for many years, working for several central New Jersey publications, including the Franklin News Record, Princeton Packet and the Hunterdon County Democrat. She was at first a staff reporter, but later found a niche in reviewing theater productions and became a leading theater critic in the area.

A champion of community theater, she found something of redeeming value in every production she saw. Her honest and fair writing style truly helped raise the level of appreciation of the arts by her readers and many people viewed productions that ordinarily might have been overlooked thanks to her efforts.

Generous, caring, and loving, she will also be remembered as a devoted wife and mother, and doting grandmother. Her family was of primary importance, and she inspired them with her deep-seated commitment to finding the good in everyone.

Her love of family and passion for the arts were fused when she began hosting the children’s story hour at the Readington Township Library, where she quickly became known as “Grandma Colleen.” This later in life activity allowed her to inspire a new generation with her wit and compassion.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her first husband and the father of her children, George Paul Zirnite, Sr., as well as by her second husband, Frank Clark, whom she divorced.

Surviving are: her children George Paul Zirnite, Jr., and his wife, Deborah Renz, Peter Zirnite and his wife, Nicole Chulick, Carol Muller, and Theodore Zirnite and his longtime partner, James Chu; her grandchildren, Miles Zirnite, Tristan Muller, Paul Muller, Leo Muller, Jamie Chu, and Jasmine Chu; her sister, Ruth A. Kent; and several extended family members.

Life celebration services and cremation at the Chapel of Ewing Crematory, Ewing Township, NJ, are private under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

You are encouraged to visit Colleen’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of her life.

In lieu of flowers and in honor of Colleen’s love of family, community, and reading, those who wish may make contributions in her memory to the Readington Township Library, 255 Main Street, Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889 or online by clicking HERE. 

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”