Ilse Plein

Ilse Plein (nee Schaaf), age 92, formerly of Wayne passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 while receiving the loving care of her family.

Ilse was born and raised in Pirmasens, Germany and was the younger of two children to Albert and Ida Schaaf.  As a young adolescent, Ilse and her family lived through the Second World War.  Their family home in Pirmasens was bombed in an air raid and for some time Ilse was separated from her mom and dad.  When Ilse was a young adult, as many young people her age did, she learned a trade.  Ilse selected the trade of a seamstress. Ilse worked for several years as an apprentice and then as an accomplished seamstress..   Later in life, Ilse would spend countless hours sewing beautiful creations, including halloween costumes for her grandchildren and hand making her daughter’s wedding dress.

Ilse met her future husband, Helmut Plein, by chance at a home in Germany. An Army buddy of Helmut heard he was assigned duty in Germany and asked Helmut to hand deliver a letter to his aunt. When Helmut went to her home, Ilse was there mending some clothes as she was a seamstress.  As fate would have it, Ilse and Helmut started dating, fell in love, and were married on November 25, 1956.  

In 1956 Ilse immigrated to the United States to join Helmut  and begin their life together.  Ilse and Helmut settled in the Ridgewood section of Queens, NY which at the time was a predominantly German section of town.  While living in New York, Helmut and Ilse opened up their own delicatessen which they owned and operated for several years. In 1966 the family moved to Saddle Brook, NJ.  After moving to New Jersey, Ilse put her seamstress skills to good use and found work quickly.  She accepted a position as a seamstress at Schulman’s Inc. in Teaneck, NJ where she worked for approximately ten years. In 1979 the family moved to Wayne Township where Ilse worked alongside her husband once again at his company Tri County Irrigation.  Ilse worked there with Helmut until their retirement many years ago. In their retirement Helmut and Ilse loved to travel, especially cruising taking about a dozen.

Ilse was very active in the German club in Carlstadt name the Carlstadt Mixed Chorus where she sang in the choir and even marched in several  German-American Steuben Parades in New York.  She cherished gardening, growing house plants and her favorite flowers, Orchids.  For many years she enjoyed landscaping the front and back yards of her home.  Ilse was also a wonderful cook.  She treasured hosting family events, parties and holidays in her home making all of the food from scratch.  She was an outstanding baker and was well known by her family and friends for her famous eight layer cake.  Aside from all of Ilse’s interests, talents, and hobbies, her greatest passion was for her family.  Nothing in the world meant more to Ilse than spending time with and providing for her family.  She was a devoted mother and grandmother and cherished sixty-four years of  marriage to her husband Helmut until his passing in August of 2020.  Ilse was an extremely strong woman who was quiet but also loved to laugh.  She was loved by everyone that knew her and was adored by her nieces and nephews.  Ilse was a truly special person who touched the lives of many people and will be missed by her family and friends alike.

Ilse is survived by her daughter Evelyn Growney and her husband Michael of Rockaway, her son Peter Plein and his wife Beverly of Waretown and Glen Rock, three grandchildren; Christopher Plein and his wife Sarah of Parsippany, Kevin Growney and his fiancé Caitlin of Rockaway, and Hailey Tubb and her husband Michael of Lewisburg, PA, and many nieces and nephews.  She was predeceased by her husband Helmut Plein in 2020 and by her sister Irene Hinkle,

In lieu of flowers, donations in Ilse's name may be made to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105-9959. http://www.stjude.org