Jennie Patricia Meyer

Jennie Patricia Pat Meyer, aged 94, formerly of Hazlet, NJ, died on Saturday, March 23, 2013 at Sunrise Senior Living in Sunnyvale, CA. Jennie was born in West Hoboken (Union City), NJ to the late Thomas and Sophie Kearns. She graduated from Hawthorne High School in 1936, then worked as a telephone operator for Bell Telephone. On Sept. 3, 1945, she married William Emil Meyer. Their marriage lasted for 56 years, until his passing in 2002. She devoted herself to being a good wife and mother and derived much joy and her identity from being the mother of six children and, later, a devoted grandmother to their children. She returned to the working world when her children were older, working in the fabric department at Bradlees where she enjoyed helping people with their projects and getting ideas for projects of her own. Before moving to California in 2003 to live with her daughter, Phyllis, Jennie was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Union Beach, NJ. She faithfully attended daily Mass there, often walking the several miles from her home to church and back. A devout Catholic, her life echoed her beliefs. She was a role model in the way she lived her values of care and compassion; even as she descended into Alzheimer s, she worried about having two pairs of shoes when others had none. She was known among family and friends for her cooking and baking skills, and for her hugs one of her favorite sayings was I live on hugs. After she retired, Jennie volunteered for several church and community groups, including Holy Family Church and The Spy House in Port Monmouth, NJ, where she enjoyed sharing its history with visitors. Jennie is survived by five children and their spouses: Mark and Jean Meyer, of Lakeside, AZ; Gerard and Elizabeth (Kowalski Ragan) Meyer, of Willingboro, NJ; Sharon and Ronald Dlugosz, of Great Barrington, MA; Phyllis and Gregory Bahue, of San Jose, CA; and Patricia and Gregory Pereira, of Orlando, FL; and son-in-law, Victor Castello of Flemington, NJ. Sadly, she was predeceased by her daughter, Marie Castello, in 1999. She is also survived by twelve cherished grandchildren, two great-granddaughters, and two brothers, James Kearns of Hawthorne, NJ and John Kearns of Saddle Brook, NJ, and by a sister, Theresa Meeker, of Syracuse, NY. Brothers Thomas Kearns and Gerard Kearns predeceased her. The rest of the family is forever grateful to her daughter, Phyllis, and the staff at Sunrise Senior Living, who provided attentive and devoted care during her final years. A loving, gentle, kind and humble person, Jennie was deeply loved and will be greatly missed. In her memory, please hug someone today. Robert L. Ford Funeral Home in Flemington, NJ is handling arrangements. A Liturgy of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, April 2nd at 11:30 a.m. at St. Magdalen s in Flemington. Burial will follow in Prospect Hill Cemetery. Family will receive friends at the funeral home before the funeral Mass, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.