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November 6, 2026
Services
Friends may visit with the family from noon to 3:30 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne on Sunday, November 15, 2026. A 3:30 PM Funeral Service will be held at the funeral home after the visitation hours on Sunday.
Esther Elizabeth Flower (Goyne), 85, of Wayne, New Jersey, passed away on Friday, November 6, 2026.
Esther was born on April 25, 1941, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, daughter of the late William John and Mary Evelyn (Carr) Goyne. Esther attended William Allen High School and received her Bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College in 1963.
Esther married Robert (Bob) Allen Flower on February 19, 1966, in Conyngham, Pennsylvania. In 1967, Bob and Esther moved to Packanack Lake in Wayne, New Jersey, where they lived for 56 years and raised three sons. Esther continued to live in the family home until her passing. Esther began her teaching career in elementary education in the Wayne Township Public Schools in 1963. Esther taught various grades, including 4th and 5th grade at Ryerson, Lafayette and JFK Elementary schools. She concluded her time in the district by being selected as the Gifted and Talented teacher at Packanack Elementary. After 25 years of teaching the children of Wayne, Esther retired in 2004.
Esther was pre-deceased by Bob in 2023, after 57 wonderful wedded years, and is survived by three beloved sons – Michael Allen Flower and wife, Laura Flower of Wayne, New Jersey; Douglas Goyne Flower and wife, Larissa Flower of Wayne, New Jersey; James MacGregor Flower and wife, Joyce Flower of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; seven grandchildren; Drake Flower, Caden Flower, Bryce Flower, Sophia Flower, Canyon Flower, Piper Flower and Asher Flower; her sister in law and brother in law, Ellen and Hal Yerkes; two nieces and a nephew; and several cousins.
Esther was a loving wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, aunt and friend. Nothing made Esther happier than being with family and attending untold numbers of school performances, plays, musical concerts and every sporting event imaginable of her children and grandchildren. Esther and Bob loved sharing their home on Lake Wallenpaupack, PA with friends and family. Esther had a love for reading, cooking/baking, shopping, breakfasting/lunching/dining at wonderful restaurants and playing in her multiple Bridge groups. She continued to stay active in the Wayne Teacher Retirees. She will be remembered for her dry wit and sarcastic sense of humor and her friendship with so many cherished friends near and far.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to be made to the Wayne Township Memorial First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 2004, Wayne, NJ 07474 waynefirstaid.com/donate.php or the Wayne Council of PTO’s Memorial Scholarship Fund, 50 Nellis Drive, Wayne, NJ 07470.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from noon to 3:30 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne on Sunday, November 15, 2026. A 3:30 PM Funeral Service will be held at the funeral home after the visitation hours on Sunday.
November 8, 2026
November 6, 2026
Services
Friends may visit with the family from noon to 3:30 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne on Sunday, November 15, 2026. A 3:30 PM Funeral Service will be held at the funeral home after the visitation hours on Sunday.
Esther Elizabeth Flower (Goyne), 85, of Wayne, New Jersey, passed away on Friday, November 6, 2026.
Esther was born on April 25, 1941, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, daughter of the late William John and Mary Evelyn (Carr) Goyne. Esther attended William Allen High School and received her Bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College in 1963.
Esther married Robert (Bob) Allen Flower on February 19, 1966, in Conyngham, Pennsylvania. In 1967, Bob and Esther moved to Packanack Lake in Wayne, New Jersey, where they lived for 56 years and raised three sons. Esther continued to live in the family home until her passing. Esther began her teaching career in elementary education in the Wayne Township Public Schools in 1963. Esther taught various grades, including 4th and 5th grade at Ryerson, Lafayette and JFK Elementary schools. She concluded her time in the district by being selected as the Gifted and Talented teacher at Packanack Elementary. After 25 years of teaching the children of Wayne, Esther retired in 2004.
Esther was pre-deceased by Bob in 2023, after 57 wonderful wedded years, and is survived by three beloved sons – Michael Allen Flower and wife, Laura Flower of Wayne, New Jersey; Douglas Goyne Flower and wife, Larissa Flower of Wayne, New Jersey; James MacGregor Flower and wife, Joyce Flower of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; seven grandchildren; Drake Flower, Caden Flower, Bryce Flower, Sophia Flower, Canyon Flower, Piper Flower and Asher Flower; her sister in law and brother in law, Ellen and Hal Yerkes; two nieces and a nephew; and several cousins.
Esther was a loving wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, aunt and friend. Nothing made Esther happier than being with family and attending untold numbers of school performances, plays, musical concerts and every sporting event imaginable of her children and grandchildren. Esther and Bob loved sharing their home on Lake Wallenpaupack, PA with friends and family. Esther had a love for reading, cooking/baking, shopping, breakfasting/lunching/dining at wonderful restaurants and playing in her multiple Bridge groups. She continued to stay active in the Wayne Teacher Retirees. She will be remembered for her dry wit and sarcastic sense of humor and her friendship with so many cherished friends near and far.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to be made to the Wayne Township Memorial First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 2004, Wayne, NJ 07474 waynefirstaid.com/donate.php or the Wayne Council of PTO’s Memorial Scholarship Fund, 50 Nellis Drive, Wayne, NJ 07470.
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