Helen Wisbauer

Helen Wisbauer (née Mullanaphy), of Pompton Plains and a long-time resident of Pines Lake in Wayne, NJ, passed peacefully on Friday, March 14, 2025. She was 102!

Born and raised in Paterson, NJ, as the eldest daughter of Henry and Helen (née Grosser) Mullanaphy. She had a younger sister, Edna, who passed away in 2012.

In 1944, Helen married William F. Wisbauer Jr., who predeceased her in February 1980. After graduating high school, she worked at Wright Aeronautical in Paterson, NJ, before dedicating herself as a stay-at-home mother to her two sons. In 1962, she began a career at American Cyanamid Co. in Wayne, NJ, where she worked as an operator in the Wire Room and later as a coordinator in the Transportation Department. She retired in 1986 but maintained many cherished friendships with her coworkers.

After their marriage in 1944, Helen and her husband William made their home in Lodi, NJ, before settling in Pines Lake, Wayne, NJ, where she resided for 60 years. She deeply appreciated the lake's natural beauty and joyfully shared it with her family through annual holiday beach celebrations. She was an active member of the Pines Lake Seniors, engaging in entertaining and cultural activities. For the past four years, she lived at Cedar Crest in Pompton Plains, NJ.

Helen had a love for music, dancing at her children’s weddings, and classic movies from the 1940s. She was also an accomplished local artist, winning numerous oil painting awards at the American Cyanamid Hobby Shows and also art exhibitions at Ringwood Manor, NJ. She continued to participate in local art instruction classes with her friends throughout her life.

A devoted member of Pompton Reformed Church in Pompton Lakes, Helen attended and supported faithfully for 65 years.

Helen was the beloved mother of James and his wife, Elaine, of Newfoundland, NJ, and David and his wife, Bonnie, of Hackettstown, NJ. She was blessed with eight cherished grandchildren—Kevin, Brian, Denise, Matthew, Laura, Gretchen, Noelle, and Cortney—as well as seventeen special great-grandchildren: Patrick, Brad Jr., Aubrey, Eljan, Tyler, Peyton, Logan, Lincoln, Landon, Wesley, Carter, Gabriel, Hannah, Grace, Rebekah, Charlotte, and Sadie.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Helen’s memory, may be made to Pompton Reformed Church, 59 Hamburg Tpke, Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442.