Born: November 23, 1919, Roxbury, New Jersey
Died: December 16, 2009, Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey
Relation to Author: Grandmother (Nana)
Today is the third anniversary of Nana's death. To celebrate, I am posting the remarks of her son (my father) at her funeral. After the jump is her obituary.
Elizabeth Charlotte Paulus was born November 23, 1919 in Kenvil, NJ in a house built by her father, Frederick Paulus, who was a stovemaker / forger [molder]. Her mother Margaret Williams worked in textile mills and later at Picatinny. Both were 1st generation born to emigrants from Germany and Wales (respectively). Their families initially settled in Scranton then came to Dover.
She was the baby of the family - her other siblings being Edna, Frederick, and Alvin. Her father died of pneumonia [editor's note: I believe it was silicosis] when she was 14. Her older siblings worked to help support the family.
She married Bruce Cheney on May 23, 1943. Their first child was born with a congenital heart defect and lived only months. I arrived next followed by my brother.
Everything revolved around the family. It seemed that almost every Sunday was dinner with the Nanas. And holidays were family time as well. Each Christmas day we made the rounds to see our Aunts, uncles and cousins. Summer was picnics- first at our grandmothers and later, after we moved to Mt Fern, given the size of our yard, we became host. I also remember trekking to family reunions in Scranton.
Education: Betty returned to work to make sure the family could afford college [neither she nor Bruce attended any college.]
Grandkids- whom she adored and tried to spend as much time as possible in Warwick attending Church children’s choir and pageants, baseball and soccer games. She then followed them closely thru college and into their careers and thoroughly enjoyed their visits and getting to know their spouses.
In the last few years how she devoted herself to the care of her husband. [Bruce had dementia.]
Conclude with why we are here in this place [at First United Methodist Church in Dover, NJ] today. I believe that all of Mom’s virtues are the result of many influences in her life and outside her family this Church and the people that are and were a part of it were of utmost importance to her.
