Ida Thibert, age75, of Wayne and formerly of Clifton, passed away on Sunday, January 8, 2017.

Born and raised in Paterson, Ida was a graduate of Eastside High School with the Class of 1959 where she starred on the school’s softball team. She lived for many years in Clifton before moving to Siena Village in Wayne in 2006.

Following high school, Ida went right to work for New Jersey Bell Telephone Company (“Ma Bell”). She was a supervisor and enjoyed a career that spanned more than 30 years.

Ida combined her dear love of her family with her hobby of photography. She took all the family pictures so consequently, you’d be hard pressed to find a picture of her. She loved to photograph the different places she would visit, sometimes to a fault. For example; once when on a helicopter tour over the majestic Grand Canyon in Arizona, everyone was looking out the window taking in all the real-life beauty while Ida’s experience was confined to looking through the little view-finder on her camera in her quest to capture it all on film. She always tried to take in the little details too and could be seen trying to get the perfect photo of things like the little geckos that were native to the desert southwest.

Although she never actually got to be a mother herself, Ida had a dear bond and affection with and considered her nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews to be her children. If you asked anyone of them, they would surely express and equal love and affection right back at Aunt Ida. She has countless photo albums of pictures she took of special occasions spent with them.

After retirement, Ida got to travel a bit. She loved visiting her brother John and his family in Austin Texas during the summer, sometimes staying for two-to-three months, and she also enjoyed trips to Colorado as well as various cruises. She also loved to go to the casinos in Atlantic City and Pennsylvania where she always played the slot machines. Funny thing is, it always seemed that when she finally started to win, it was time to go.

Ida was an extremely outgoing and talkative person. Her family marveled at her ability to strike up conversations with perfect strangers that she’d encounter in the course of daily life such as running errands at Walmart or Walgreens. Sometimes they would even be a little embarrassed. When she moved to Siena Village in Wayne, she quickly became friends with the ladies there, often joining them for happy hour. She was very handy too and was often called upon by her Siena Village neighbors to grab her tool box to help them hang a picture, program their VCR, fix something, or even help them with a problem with their car.

Those that knew Ida will miss her warm, energetic spirit and willingness to always cheerfully answer a call for help or assistance from a friend in need. Among many other things, her family will miss her excellent baking skills including her holiday pies and uniquely-themed birthday cakes that she made for everyone’s special day.

Ida is survived by her dear sister Florence and husband Joseph Salleroli of Franklin Lakes; her brother John Thibert of Austin, Texas; her adored niece and nephews: Jan Salleroli of Oakland, Christopher and wife Julie Thibert of Austin, Texas, Brian Thibert of Austin, Texas; and her cherished great-nieces and great-nephews: Angela, Sofia, Joseph, Grayson, and Schoen. She was predeceased by her dear nephew Joseph Salleroli in 1989, and her dear sister-in-law Nancy Thibert in 2014.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Ida’s name are asked to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959 (www.stjude.org/donate).