Obituary of Elizabeth Anne Merritt

Elizabeth Anne Steer Merritt, 77 years young, of Boonton, NJ passed away on May 21st, 2014. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Charles W. Merritt Jr., her five children, 18 grandchildren, one great grandchild and two sisters. Betty Anne was born on October, 31st 1936 to John and Mary Steer in Blue Bell PA, the youngest of four children. She graduated from Mountain Lakes HS in 1954 and Cornell University in 1958 with a B.S. in Home Economics. She married Charles W. Merritt Jr. on Aug. 19th, 1961 in New York City and they raised their five children in Mountain Lakes, NJ for the next 31 years, before moving to Boonton, NJ. After graduating, Betty Anne worked for social services in New York City while pursuing her Master's degree in Social Work at Columbia University. From 1983 to 1995 she worked for Merritt Mounting and Finishing, where the boss was sweet on her. More recently, she held positions in several companies focused on improving the environment both inside and out including a signage company, an air duct cleaning company and most recently Xitech the oil spill recovery and cleanup firm. However, the majority of her working career centered on caring for her husband, children, grandchildren and home as she tirelessly worked to support any and all endeavors of her 5 children and 18 grandchildren creating a happy home and lots of happy memories. As a homemaker, Betty Anne remained very active in her Mountain Lakes community participating in the Home and School Bridge fundraiser for many years and actively participating in the Mountain Lakes Home and School, holding position of President of HSA during this period. Betty Anne could also be seen on the golf course and volunteering on and around golf courses both locally at Rockaway River CC and at several PGA tournaments. She also had a passion for the ocean and took her family there as often as possible. An additional hobby was organizing reunions; not only for Mtn Lks High School where she was a prime mover and motivator for reunions, but also for Cornell University including co-chairing her 50th reunion and serving as class president around that time as well. Betty Anne also enjoyed travelling and listening to music. Other hobbies included cooking for which all who were so lucky to share a meal with her knew her special ingredient was love…a treat for the palate and the soul every time! Her greatest joy, however, remained her family. As a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, she was the central contact for all extended family; she was the proud matriarch of the family as well as the chronicler of family activities. She followed a full schedule of attending and full-heartedly supporting her grandchildren's activities in sports and in the arts. Betty Anne was preceded in death by her parents John and Mary Steer and by her brother John Steer. Betty Anne is survived by her husband, Charlie Merritt, of Boonton, NJ; five children, Wesley (Sonya) Merritt of Durham, NH; Suzanne (Stephen) Kovalsky of Mendham, NJ; Elizabeth Merritt (Bjorn Waalberg d.) of Kinnelon, NJ; Bruce (Kathleen) Merritt, of Mountain Lakes, NJ; and Laura (Andrew) Perrin of Mendham, NJ. She is also survived by 18 grandchildren, one great grandchild, her two sisters, Ruth Beazer of NY and Joyce Gilinger of FL, and her many loving nieces and nephews. A memorial service celebrating this vibrant life will be held at the Community Church of Mountain Lakes, 48 Briarcliff rd., Mountain Lakes, NJ on Friday, June 6th, 2014 at 10:30am In lieu of flowers, Betty Anne and Charlie request that donations be made to the afterschool program: Cedar Hill CDC at 226 Cornelia Street Boonton, NJ 07005. Tax ID is 22- 3712958. This is there website if anyone wants to read about the program. http://www.cedarhillcdc.org/index.html Please Light a candle in her memory at: www.normandean.com