Josephine Ganz

Josephine M. Ganz (nee Matusik) of Wayne, passed away on Thursday, December 6, 2018 after a long and blessed life of 97 years. Her family was lovingly with her at the time of her passing.

Josephine was born in the family home at 135 Main Street in Conemaugh, PA. When she was about 7 years old, her family moved to a farm in Summerhill, PA. Her father worked at the steel mill and Josephine attended school in a one room schoolhouse. She graduated from Wilmore High School with the Class of 1937. All graduates took a school sponsored trip to Washington D.C. which included a site-seeing plane ride of the Capital. One of her teachers turned down his ticket for the plane ride citing concern for his wife and two children if the plane went down. Consequently, Josephine was the lucky recipient of the extra ticket and got to fly twice!

Soon after high school Josephine found work as a nanny/housekeeper in Long Island, New York. She got this job as her sister Stella did the same work in Long Island as well. After a short time she returned to the family farm in Summerhill, PA and went to visit her dad’s cousin in Hillside, NJ. She decided to stay in New Jersey and found a job working for the RCA Corporation in Harrison on the vacuum tube assembly line.  After working there she got a job working for the Laurel Rubber Company in Garfield on the assembly line. Josephine also worked at the A&P food store in the butcher department and finally for the Thermo Electric Company in Saddle Brook as a file room supervisor and librarian before retiring in 1983.

While working at RCA in Harrison, Josephine went out to Ernie’s Pub and Grill with two girlfriends and met a soldier on leave named Stephen Ganz. Stephen returned to his service but he and Josephine kept in touch through letters. When he returned from World War II they again dated. After a trip together out to the family farm in Summerhill, Pennsylvania, where Stephen asked Josephine’s dad for her hand in marriage, they were soon engaged. Josephine and Stephen married on September 14, 1946 at Saint Peters Church in Newark and honeymooned in Niagara Falls, New York and Montreal, Canada. Josephine would tell a story about, when they entered Canada on their honeymoon, she wasn’t asked for any identification or paperwork. Instead, the agent simply asked her “Are you with him?”  On the way back to the United States she told the agent “I’m with him,” and the customs agent said “I don’t care who you’re with, let me see your papers.” After returning from their honeymoon the young couple rented an apartment in Garfield within the home of her brother-in-law and they soon bought their own home at 95 Pacific Avenue in Garfield.  In the latter years of their marriage Josephine and Stephen enjoyed traveling to such places as Mexico, Hawaii, Canada, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas.  Josephine and Stephen enjoyed a loving, caring, and devoted marriage just one month short of forty-three years before Stephen’s passing in 1989. She was the greatest fan of her four grandchildren and eight dear great-grandchildren and, with great pleasure, she made sure she never missed any of their sporting events or dance recitals.

Josephine was an avid reader and had a great sense of humor. Recently while in the hospital emergency room, after six hours of waiting, she quipped that “On television emergency room shows they have this and more done in an hour!” She loved her dogs Snowball, Trixie, and Bucky, and was a social butterfly. Her twenty years at Siena Village in Wayne had her on bus trips to Atlantic City, exercise classes, Bible study, trips to Camp Hope, playing Bingo and Dominos, and being part of the Siena Village Welcome Wagon. She was a faithful parishioner of Our Lady of the Valley Church in Wayne during her years living in Wayne. When asked what she most wanted to do in life Josephine said she would like to drive a tractor trailer.

Josephine was the beloved wife of the late Stephen Ganz, blest in marriage for almost 43 years until his passing in 1989; loving mother of Stephanie and husband Joseph Volpe of Fords, NJ, and Philip and wife Rosemary Ganz of Hillsborough; cherished grandmother of: Michael Volpe, Lynne Chonka, Philip Ganz, and Matthew Ganz; adoring great-grandmother of Zachary Volpe, Alyssa Barker, Lauren Barker, Isabella Volpe, Katelyn Chonka, Drew Chonka, Alison Ganz and Ryan Ganz; and dear sister of the late Stella Butler and the late Helen Malesky. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews and one great grand-puppy, Gidget.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Josephine’s name are asked to consider the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home Menlo Park, 132 Evergreen Road, Edison, NJ 08818.