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Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, from 2-4 and 7-9. A funeral service will be held at 10 AM on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 at the Packanack Community Church, 120 Lake Drive East, Wayne, NJ, followed by burial at the Cedar Lawn Cemetery, Paterson.
Marion E. Fockler (nee Rothwell), age 93, of Wayne, died peacefully on Sunday, January 3, 2016, with her three daughters gathered at her bedside. She had lived in the Packanack Lake section of Wayne since 1948.
A product of the Great Depression, Marion’s childhood was spent in the Delawanna section of Clifton. Her family was very poor yet managed to scrape by. She and her four siblings slept in one bed. She contracted Rheumatic Fever as a child, which often weakens the heart, yet hers grew strong and true. Growing up she was very involved with the Salvation Army as well as St. Stevens Episcopal Church, teaching Sunday School for many years. In high school she worked at a lingerie shop where she, at 5 ft. 1-1/4 inches tall and 98 lbs., was often requested to measure some of their bigger customers for bras. After High School she had “Comptometer” training, which was the earliest electronic form of the modern day computer and later began working at Givadaun.
She met her husband, William Fockler from West Virginia, at a singles social at the United Methodist Church in Passaic. They were married on September 11, 1948, arriving home from their honeymoon with fifty dollars to their names. They soon joined the Packanack Community Church, once again she began teaching Sunday School. She was also active in the church’s Women’s Guild – Circle I - for over 50 years as well as the Altar Guild.
Marion was written about twice in the newspaper. Once was about another group of church women she was involved in called “My Brother’s Keeper’ , a program that rescued frayed and holey blankets, quilts, and scraps of fabric and patch-worked them into toasty sleeping bags for the homeless. “Meet Your Neighbor” in the Wayne Today was her second claim to fame.
As her three daughters grew she also volunteered to be a Girl Scout leader for each of them. She enjoyed making crafts and was known to never pass up a pinecone or, for that matter, any penny, pencil or ball found on her walks. There was always a use for them.
She took up golf to spend more time with her husband. However, she enjoyed the camaraderie of the game more than serious skill development. That being said, her family was surprised when she came home from the Packanack Golf Club with a silver bowl, engraved “1968-1969 First Place Pack-a-Ladies.” When her family asked how that happened, her response was that she must have had a good partner!
She enjoyed family trips to Lake Floyd, West Virginia, each summer and once the family took a three week drive to the West Coast and back. Later she and her husband traveled through Europe, Alaska, and Hawaii as well as winter trips to Florida.
Her grandchildren were among her greatest joys. They recall how much she enjoyed spending time with them. A visit with Grandma meant playing dress up, having a tea party, going to the playground, and taking home another craft. They all have wonderful memories to cherish throughout their lifetimes, each knowing that they were her favorite.
The last four years she resided at Sunrise of Wayne and her wonderful caretakers called her “Little Momma.” There she continued to touch the lives of all who came to know her with her kindness, playfulness, strong will, integrity and compassion.
Marion is survived by her three daughters: Karen Rowe and her husband Christopher of Berwyn, PA, Kathy Jensen and her husband Michael of Hamilton, NJ and Koreen Fockler of Wayne, as well as five grandchildren; Amy Rowe, Lindsay Pauley, Jill Jeffers, Kristen Jensen, and Matthew Jensen, a great-granddaughter Elizabeth Pauley, her godson William Allbee and her great niece, Kimberly Ward. She was predeceased by her husband of 65 years, William Fockler.
Those planning an expression of sympathy in Marion’s name are asked to consider Packanack Community Church, the Salvation Army or a charity of your choice.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, from 2-4 and 7-9. A funeral service will be held at 10 AM on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 at the Packanack Community Church, 120 Lake Drive East, Wayne, NJ, followed by burial at the Cedar Lawn Cemetery, Paterson.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, from 2-4 and 7-9. A funeral service will be held at 10 AM on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 at the Packanack Community Church, 120 Lake Drive East, Wayne, NJ, followed by burial at the Cedar Lawn Cemetery, Paterson.
Marion E. Fockler (nee Rothwell), age 93, of Wayne, died peacefully on Sunday, January 3, 2016, with her three daughters gathered at her bedside. She had lived in the Packanack Lake section of Wayne since 1948.
A product of the Great Depression, Marion’s childhood was spent in the Delawanna section of Clifton. Her family was very poor yet managed to scrape by. She and her four siblings slept in one bed. She contracted Rheumatic Fever as a child, which often weakens the heart, yet hers grew strong and true. Growing up she was very involved with the Salvation Army as well as St. Stevens Episcopal Church, teaching Sunday School for many years. In high school she worked at a lingerie shop where she, at 5 ft. 1-1/4 inches tall and 98 lbs., was often requested to measure some of their bigger customers for bras. After High School she had “Comptometer” training, which was the earliest electronic form of the modern day computer and later began working at Givadaun.
She met her husband, William Fockler from West Virginia, at a singles social at the United Methodist Church in Passaic. They were married on September 11, 1948, arriving home from their honeymoon with fifty dollars to their names. They soon joined the Packanack Community Church, once again she began teaching Sunday School. She was also active in the church’s Women’s Guild – Circle I - for over 50 years as well as the Altar Guild.
Marion was written about twice in the newspaper. Once was about another group of church women she was involved in called “My Brother’s Keeper’ , a program that rescued frayed and holey blankets, quilts, and scraps of fabric and patch-worked them into toasty sleeping bags for the homeless. “Meet Your Neighbor” in the Wayne Today was her second claim to fame.
As her three daughters grew she also volunteered to be a Girl Scout leader for each of them. She enjoyed making crafts and was known to never pass up a pinecone or, for that matter, any penny, pencil or ball found on her walks. There was always a use for them.
She took up golf to spend more time with her husband. However, she enjoyed the camaraderie of the game more than serious skill development. That being said, her family was surprised when she came home from the Packanack Golf Club with a silver bowl, engraved “1968-1969 First Place Pack-a-Ladies.” When her family asked how that happened, her response was that she must have had a good partner!
She enjoyed family trips to Lake Floyd, West Virginia, each summer and once the family took a three week drive to the West Coast and back. Later she and her husband traveled through Europe, Alaska, and Hawaii as well as winter trips to Florida.
Her grandchildren were among her greatest joys. They recall how much she enjoyed spending time with them. A visit with Grandma meant playing dress up, having a tea party, going to the playground, and taking home another craft. They all have wonderful memories to cherish throughout their lifetimes, each knowing that they were her favorite.
The last four years she resided at Sunrise of Wayne and her wonderful caretakers called her “Little Momma.” There she continued to touch the lives of all who came to know her with her kindness, playfulness, strong will, integrity and compassion.
Marion is survived by her three daughters: Karen Rowe and her husband Christopher of Berwyn, PA, Kathy Jensen and her husband Michael of Hamilton, NJ and Koreen Fockler of Wayne, as well as five grandchildren; Amy Rowe, Lindsay Pauley, Jill Jeffers, Kristen Jensen, and Matthew Jensen, a great-granddaughter Elizabeth Pauley, her godson William Allbee and her great niece, Kimberly Ward. She was predeceased by her husband of 65 years, William Fockler.
Those planning an expression of sympathy in Marion’s name are asked to consider Packanack Community Church, the Salvation Army or a charity of your choice.
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