Laura Pulford

Laura Pulford (nee Swisher), age 88 of Butler, died peacefully on Sunday, August 29, 2021. Her family had all been gathered at her bedside when she passed.

Laura grew up in the Stoney Road section of Paterson and recalled it as being a fun place to grow up. She enjoyed sleigh riding at Garret Mountain (the bunny slopes), Pennington Park (the expert slopes), and regularly visited Palisades Amusement Park with her cousins as well as her best friend, Tina Roncone where they each terrorized other bumper car participants and wondered years later why they never got their driver's licenses. It was in her neighborhood that she met Leonard “Lenny” Pulford when they were just kids. Their love blossomed and they were married on May 23, 1953. Laura was the reserved one, and Lenny was the life of the party! They laughed together, cried together, danced together, and enjoyed doing just about everything else together. Laura was certainly ‘the boss,’ and Lenny was devoted to her. They took many family vacations to Pennsylvania, visiting Hershey Park, relatives in Reading, and the Lancaster area.They enjoyed a very special twenty-fifth anniversary vacation to Bermuda. Sadly, Lenny died suddenly in 1984, at just fifty-three years old. Laura mourned his loss ever since and has missed him dearly.

In 1965, Laura and Lenny moved their family to High Crest Lake in West Milford, NJ. Laura was a true homemaker and loved running her household. Her cooking was exceptional and she was one of those people who could whip up an incredible meal out of thin air. Laura remained in their family home until 1999, when she moved to Butler, NJ.

Through the years Laura always kept Lenny’s spirit alive with each of her grandchildren. She always told them lively stories and many times pointed out each grandchild’s individual trait that was surely passed down from their grandfather- from singing, to dancing, to acting, to smiling, to his swimming expertise, to laughing, to his sense of humor, and to playing baseball or softball. She loved each of her grandchildren and great grandchildren immensely and would do anything for anyone of them.

Laura is survived by her three children; Kenneth Pulford and his wife Patrice of Glen Rock, Lisa Davies and her husband Rich, and Karen Miller and Jim Petrizzi, eleven grandchildren; Erica and Ryan Pulford, Allison, Scott (Samantha), Matthew, Brendan, Madeline, Rick Davies/Miller, Melanie Marek (Keith), Drew and Dana Miller  and two great-grandchildren; Savannah and Syrus Miller, her beloved brother; Robert Swisher and his wife Sandra of Wayne, and four nieces; Sharon Rovere, Doreen Calvello,  Donna Rojas, and Jessica Lenczewski.