Edna May Nick

Edna May Nick (née Congleton), age 78, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, surrounded by her loving family.

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Born in her family home in the Preakness section of Wayne, New Jersey, Edna was the beloved daughter of Warren and Edna Congleton. As the family grew larger, Edna's parents moved frequently to accommodate the significant size of the family. They lived in Wayne, NJ Kingston, NY, Totowa ,NJ, Lincoln Park NJ and then eventually settled down permanently back in Wayne. Like many young women of her generation, Edna left school early to help her mother take care of her siblings and to earn a living. Along side her mother, she worked cleaning offices at Kearfott in Totowa. Edna also did other jobs to earn money along the way.

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As a young woman, Edna lived just up the street from a handsome young man named Kenneth Nick in Paterson. At the time, Kenneth, known to everyone as Mike, was dating someone else, but Edna's best friend Lois, got Mike to break up with his girlfriend and convinced him to start dating Edna. After just six weeks of courtship, the couple knew they were destined to be together and the married on Edna's 18th birthday, December 19th 1964.

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The couple began their life together in Paterson, New Jersey, where they welcomed their first 3 children, Margaret, Brenda and Tammy. They then lived on Fayette Avenue in a house behind Edna's parents. Edna got pregnant with their fourth child and the couple needed a bigger house, so they bought a boarding house in Wayne that had many rooms to accommodate their quickly growing family. There they had the rest of their children,  Paula, Karey, Krissy, Erica, Kenny and Michael.

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Edna went on to drive a school bus for the Wayne Board of Education for several years as well as volunteering for the Wayne Memorial First Aid Squad. During this time tragedy struck in February of 1985,  Edna's son Kenny passed away unexpectedly. This rocked Edna to her core. She knew she still had other children to care for so she picked up the pieces of her heart to continue on for her  family with the help of her husband, parents, older daughters, Margaret, Brenda and Tammy. Edna was always looking for jobs that allowed her to provide medical and financial stability for her family.  In March of 1985, Edna left the Wayne Board of Education to begin her career with General Motors in Tarrytown, New York as an auto assembler with UAW Local 664. She worked there for ten years until the plant was closed. In 1995, Edna was transferred to General Motors in Linden, New Jersey UAW Local 595. Shortly after transferring Edna had an opportunity to become a tradesman with the company. She originally wanted to be a Union Electrician, however the need for them was scarce. Instead, she decided to try her hand at carpentry. In April of 1996, Edna graduated from Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Adult Schools with a certificate in Carpentry. She then started her career as a Carpenter's Apprentice at GM and eventually worked her way to Journeyman Carpenter. In 2008, GM announced they would be closing the Linden Plant, so Edna was faced with deciding to transfer out of state or to retire. Edna's love for her family made that decision easy, she decided to retire from GM in June of 2008. 

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 Edna’s greatest joy was her family. She cherished every moment spent with her parents, siblings, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When her mother fell ill, Edna devoted herself wholeheartedly to her care, just as she did for so many others throughout her life. Edna's parents were the foundation of the family. Her father passed in 1999 and her mother in 2003. She also lost her baby brother Frank to pulmonary fibrosis just a few months prior to losing their mother. Frank and his wife Kathy were very close with Edna's family. They were always together whether at Edna and Mike's house for pizza Fridays or bbqs at Frank and Kathy's house. Kathy her sister in-law was her best friend. In October 2010, Kathy unexpectedly passed away. This was a huge loss for Edna, she was almost inconsolable. Within a few weeks of Kathy's passing, Edna suffered a catastrophic, rare stroke that put her in a coma. The doctors weren't optimistic but after a week Edna regained consciousness. She said she could hear her family the entire time she was comatose and she knew that they needed her. Her awakening from the coma showed her strength, will, and love for her family. Edna was physically strong after her stroke but suffered cognitive deficits. She was unable to care for herself, so her husband Mike and their children cared for Edna. They did for her as she had done for them all the years prior. She instilled a great family ethic in all of her children. During the years that followed, Edna lost her brothers Alan and Bill, as well as her sister Jane. She also lost two daughters, Erica and Karey. 

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Edna will be remembered for her love, warmth, and generosity.  She was a woman who always placed the needs of others before her own. She leaves behind a legacy of hard work, kindness, and devotion that will continue to live on through the family she so deeply loved.

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She will forever be remembered as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

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Edna is survived by her husband Kenneth Nick, Sr (Mike). of Wayne, to whom she was married for almost 61 years , five daughters; Margaret Nick Henry of Lincoln Park, Brenda Amaya and her husband Luis of Wayne, Tammy Miller and her husband Mark of Wayne,  Paula DiBartolo and her husband John of Wayne, Krissy Montana of Wayne, a son Michael Nick and his wife Jessica of Pompton Lakes, and a son in-law Anthony Sorrentino of Totowa,  nine siblings; Robert Frields (Sue), Marilyn Wehnert, Bruce Frields, Elaine Maggiore, Warren Congleton, Jr. (Gerry), Philip Congleton (Lynn), Julia Swanson (Jim), Deborah Bailey, and Gay Longo (Steve), fourteen grandchildren; Emily (Dillon), Josh (Jess), Ashlyn (John), Amanda, Sarah, Lia (Chris), Brandon, Scott, Stacey (Andrew), AJ (Kristen), Kathleen, Allyson, Michael Jr., and Katie,  and seven great grandchildren; Decker, Evie, Brayden, Riley, Noah, John III, and Mark James.  She was predeceased by her parents Warren and Edna, her daughters; Karey Ann Sorrentino, Erica Mandeville and her son Kenneth Nick, Jr.  She was also predeceased by her siblings; Beverly Frields, Frank Congleton, Alan Congleton, Jane Ruck, and William Frields, and nephews William T. Frields Jr., William Frields, William Bailey, and nieces Daria Frey (her Goddaughter), and Tanya Congleton.

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In lieu of flowers, donations in Edna's name may be made to:

FOWA Rescue PO Box 3701 Wayne NJ 07470

or

Helping Felines In Need PO Box 2586 Wayne, NJ 07474.