Joyce Kerr

Gladys “Joyce” Kerr, age 77,  of Oak Ridge, passed Monday September 23, 2019 peacefully at home with the comfort of her family by her side.

She was born to John and Gladys Markwis in Newark and raised in Pompton Lakes and West Milford.  Joyce went to Saint Marys Boarding School in Manhasset, New York and later attended Butler High School with the Class of 1959.

Joyce attended beauty school in Paterson and became a licensed beautician. She later had a work-from-home business and waitressed at the Howard Johnsons in West Paterson.  She would waitress at night and care for her children during the day.  When her husband Andrew would come home from his day job he would be in charge of the children when Joyce was at work.  Joyce would leave Andrew detailed directions for the evening on a tape recorder.  Andrew was a very literal thinker and on one occasion was following Joyce’s directions: cook the pasta and then drain in the colander, after heating the sauce place over the pasta and serve.  Well Andrew never took the pasta out of the colander and all the sauce drained into the sink.  When the children were older Joyce worked processing claims for the Prudential Insurance Company and later worked at the Valley National Bank’s mortgage division before retiring in 2017.

Joyce met Andrew at their neighbors Mrs. Robinson’s house party when he was on leave from the Navy.  They fell in love and married on December 12, 1959 and honeymooned in New York City.  Their marriage was blessed with two children Sandra and John. They loved to travel and have been to Egypt, Bermuda, St. Croix, Aruba, Spain, England and California.  Many fond memories were also made at the Ocean Beach section of the Jersey Shore with her granddaughters. For many years Joyce and her late husband Andy were volunteer dispatchers for the Wayne First Aid Squad and even had a First Aid Squad telephone installed in their home.

Joyce was predeceased by her husband of fifty-five years Andrew Kerr in 2014; she was the loving mother of John Kerr of Oakridge and Sandra Friedhoff and her husband Timothy of Stockholm; cherished grandmother of Deidra Valianti(Carl) and Erica Friedhoff(Tommy Giles); dearly loved sister of Johanna Markwis of South Carolina and the late Bob Markwis.

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In lieu of flowers memorial donations to FOWA (Friends of Wayne Animals), PO Box 3701, Wayne, NJ 07474 would be appreciated.