Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Calls outside of office hours? No worries! Our team will respond within 10–15 minutes.
December 1, 2006
Elizabeth Clara (nee Sweetman) Van Blarcom age 95 of Wayne died Friday, December 1, 2006 at The ATRIUM at WAYNE. She died peacefully in her sleep Friday evening after having been visited by her family, friends and minister who prayed with her on Friday afternoon.
The daughter of Nicholas Sweetman and Jenny Kusant, she was born in Passaic, New Jersey but grew up in Pequannock. She is predeceased by her three brothers: Walter, Denman and John. As the only girl among the siblings, she learned to keep up with her brothers and enjoyed telling the family how they would dive off the railroad trestle into the Pequannock River much to the horror of her parents.
The closest high school at the time was in Butler and she attended there before she worked at “The Prudential” in Newark until she got married. On April 10, 1937, she married Frank Van Blarcom, the love of her live, and they moved to Wayne where she lived for almost 70 years.
She married Frank during the depression when Wayne was still an agricultural community. Frank’s parents subdivided their property in Wayne for Frank and his new bride. It was during the Depression, money was tight and, after dynamiting a hole to build their house, Frank and Betty used the stone they blasted away to form the foundation. They built the house with timbers from an old factory and “used brick” before it became fashionable to do so. She used to joke that there were not many closets in the house because it was just too darn expensive to buy doors when they were building.
Frank and Betty later added to the property and the two of them turned it into a garden wonderland. Frank, a plumber by trade, channeled the streams and built fountains and a variety of sculptures in their little Eden for their only daughter, Dorothy, to enjoy with them. Betty was a homemaker who enjoyed sewing, knitting and crocheting. She made many of her daughter’s clothes and could often be found at her sewing machine or with her knitting needles making things for other members of the family.
They enjoyed their neighborhood, frequently attended Memorial Day and July 4 barbecues with their neighbors. Frank could be seen making his famous clam chowder at the outdoor barbecue he built. After cooking countless family and holiday dinners, Betty later used to joke that she didn't know how to cook.
Frank died an untimely death in 1967; Betty was never interested in finding someone to “replace” him and lived the rest of her life as a widow. Frank lived to see his daughter marry but never had the opportunity to see his grandchildren. Their first grandchild was born in 1970 and Betty took her first airplane ride to fly down to Texas in anticipation of his birth. She loved to travel and would often do so with friends or to see her family as they moved around the country. With her grandchildren living out of state she often babysat cousins and nieces who lovingly called her “Aunt Sis.”
After Frank died, Betty went back to work at “The Rag Shop” in Hawthorne and she would often bring home pieces of material that fed her sewing and quilting habits. When the house she loved got too much for her, she moved to Sisco Senior Housing in Wayne where she lived independently for 22 years.
Francis and Betty had a “happy and loving” marriage together for thirty-one years until Frank’s passing in 1967. Betty maintained a diary of the many love expressions that they shared together during their marriage. Some of their favorites were “love you more each day” and “love that man”.
Surviving are her daughter Dorothy and her husband James A. Hess of Alexandria, Virginia; her grandson James T. Hess and his wife Kimberley of Cockeysville, Maryland; her granddaughter Nancy Hess of Alexandria, Virginia; and two great grandchildren James C. Hess and Samantha
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
December 1, 2006
Elizabeth Clara (nee Sweetman) Van Blarcom age 95 of Wayne died Friday, December 1, 2006 at The ATRIUM at WAYNE. She died peacefully in her sleep Friday evening after having been visited by her family, friends and minister who prayed with her on Friday afternoon.
The daughter of Nicholas Sweetman and Jenny Kusant, she was born in Passaic, New Jersey but grew up in Pequannock. She is predeceased by her three brothers: Walter, Denman and John. As the only girl among the siblings, she learned to keep up with her brothers and enjoyed telling the family how they would dive off the railroad trestle into the Pequannock River much to the horror of her parents.
The closest high school at the time was in Butler and she attended there before she worked at “The Prudential” in Newark until she got married. On April 10, 1937, she married Frank Van Blarcom, the love of her live, and they moved to Wayne where she lived for almost 70 years.
She married Frank during the depression when Wayne was still an agricultural community. Frank’s parents subdivided their property in Wayne for Frank and his new bride. It was during the Depression, money was tight and, after dynamiting a hole to build their house, Frank and Betty used the stone they blasted away to form the foundation. They built the house with timbers from an old factory and “used brick” before it became fashionable to do so. She used to joke that there were not many closets in the house because it was just too darn expensive to buy doors when they were building.
Frank and Betty later added to the property and the two of them turned it into a garden wonderland. Frank, a plumber by trade, channeled the streams and built fountains and a variety of sculptures in their little Eden for their only daughter, Dorothy, to enjoy with them. Betty was a homemaker who enjoyed sewing, knitting and crocheting. She made many of her daughter’s clothes and could often be found at her sewing machine or with her knitting needles making things for other members of the family.
They enjoyed their neighborhood, frequently attended Memorial Day and July 4 barbecues with their neighbors. Frank could be seen making his famous clam chowder at the outdoor barbecue he built. After cooking countless family and holiday dinners, Betty later used to joke that she didn't know how to cook.
Frank died an untimely death in 1967; Betty was never interested in finding someone to “replace” him and lived the rest of her life as a widow. Frank lived to see his daughter marry but never had the opportunity to see his grandchildren. Their first grandchild was born in 1970 and Betty took her first airplane ride to fly down to Texas in anticipation of his birth. She loved to travel and would often do so with friends or to see her family as they moved around the country. With her grandchildren living out of state she often babysat cousins and nieces who lovingly called her “Aunt Sis.”
After Frank died, Betty went back to work at “The Rag Shop” in Hawthorne and she would often bring home pieces of material that fed her sewing and quilting habits. When the house she loved got too much for her, she moved to Sisco Senior Housing in Wayne where she lived independently for 22 years.
Francis and Betty had a “happy and loving” marriage together for thirty-one years until Frank’s passing in 1967. Betty maintained a diary of the many love expressions that they shared together during their marriage. Some of their favorites were “love you more each day” and “love that man”.
Surviving are her daughter Dorothy and her husband James A. Hess of Alexandria, Virginia; her grandson James T. Hess and his wife Kimberley of Cockeysville, Maryland; her granddaughter Nancy Hess of Alexandria, Virginia; and two great grandchildren James C. Hess and Samantha
Guestbook