Irene Ann Schulze

Irene Ann Schulze (nee Muschko), age 85, of Wayne passed away peacefully on Tuesday August 11, 2020 while receiving the loving care of her family and after a courageous battle with cancer.

Irene was born in Northampton, PA and was the youngest of three children to John and Suzanne Muschko.  As a young girl, Irene and her family moved to the Bunker Hill section of Paterson.  As a teenager, Irene attended Central High School and graduated with the class of 1952.  Following Irene’s graduation, she found work quickly at the Prospect Park National Bank in Prospect Park where she held a clerical position.  Irene worked there for about five years.  During that time in her life she met a handsome young man by the name of John Schulze.  The two of them lived in the same neighborhood, hit it off great, and started dating.  As fate would have it they fell in love.  John got the call to serve his country in the Korean Conflict and after his return home from his service with the United States Army the two became husband and wife on June 1, 1957, getting married in St John’s Lutheran Church in Passaic, NJ.

Irene and John settled in Paterson, in the same apartment building in which Irene’s brother Edward lived.  In 1959, Irene and John welcomed their first child, their daughter Judy.  Shortly after the New Year in 1962, they welcomed their second daughter Diane.  That same year a fire swept through their apartment building and the family was forced to move.  Irene and her family moved to Wayne where they remained for the rest of their lives.  After moving to Wayne, John and Irene welcomed their other two children, their son John in 1963, and their daughter Karen in 1967.

Shortly after the birth of their first child, Irene decided that she would become a full time homemaker, devoting herself to caring and nurturing her husband and children.  This was Irene’s true calling and where she flourished.  She was a totally devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.  Not only was Irene devoted totally to her family but she was also wholly dedicated to her Lutheran Faith.  She and her family were members of St Timothy’s Lutheran Church in Wayne for many years.  Irene was a member of the Eastern Star and recently in 2019 received her fifty year service pin.  Irene was also a member of the Scottish Rite Lady’s Auxiliary in Lincoln Park for many years as well.

The one place that Irene considered her home away from home was the beach.  She enjoyed frequenting the beaches of the Jersey Shore and Myrtle Beach, SC.  She loved to swim, bathe in the sun, and spending time on their boat.  Irene and John also treasured traveling and cruising to destinations such as Alaska, Hawaii, and various islands in the Caribbean.  She was a wonderful cook, and enjoyed exercising as long as it was fun, and she was also quite a dancer.  Irene was a genuine connoisseur of coffee, she described coffee as being “The Nectar of the Gods,”  Irene could always be seen with a smile on her face, she was one of the nicest, kindest, and wholesome people you could have ever met and never had a bad word to say about anyone.  Aside from all of Irene’s interests and hobbies, her greatest passion was for her family. Nothing in the world meant more to Irene than spending time with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She and John cherished forty nine years of loving and loyal marriage together until John’s passing in 2006.  Irene was a very special person who touched the lives of many people and will be sincerely missed by her family and friends alike.

Irene is survived by her three daughters; Judith Lynn Beasley of Pittston, PA, Diane Christiano and her husband Ken of Newton, NJ, and Karen Ann Schulze of Wayne, NJ, one son John Robert Schulze and his wife Joann of Little Egg Harbor, NJ, one brother William Muschko of Totowa, eight grandchildren; Caitlyn Michelle Hollingshead and her husband Brian of Plains, PA, Alyssa Karen Beasley of Inkerman, PA, Dayton Orville Beasley and his wife Layne of Bethlehem, PA, Quinton Kenneth Christiano and his fiancé Tori of Newton, NJ, Danielle Irene Christiano of Newton, NJ, Alexis Diane Christiano of Newton, NJ, Brittany Lynn Schulze of Little Egg Harbor, NJ and Anastasia Alexis Schulze of Little Egg Harbor, NJ, and four great grandchildren; Braedon John Hollingshead of Plains, PA, Bryce Jeffrey Hollingshead of Plains, PA, Brooks Jackson Hollingshead of Plains, PA, and Camryn Michelle Hollingshead of Plains, PA. She was predeceased by her brother Edward Muschko of Oakland, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in Irene’s name are asked to consider  St Timothy’s Lutheran Church Memorial Fund, 395 Valley Rd, Wayne, NJ 07470.  https://www.sttimothynj.org/