Miriam Faber

Miriam Faber, age 73, of Butler and formerly of Pompton Plains passed away in the comfort of her own home on Sunday, February 20, 2022 while her family embraced her with their love. It was Miriam’s wish to return home and spend her final days surrounded by family and friends.

The first-born of James and Teresa (James) Ward’s four daughters, Miriam was born in Kingston, PA. At a very young age her family moved to East Orange, NJ and then 19 Romondt Road in Pompton Plains and, after her parent’s parted ways, Miriam moved with her mom to various locations and lived with extended family while Mom did her best to provide for them as a full-time nurse. The family settled in Oak Ridge, NJ in 1962. Teresa married Bill O’Brien, Sr. and Billy, Miriam’s youngest sibling, later joined the family. In 1966 Miriam graduated from Jefferson Township High School where her class had the distinction of being the first graduating class.

Miriam pursued higher education at Paterson State College, known today as William Paterson University. It was the 1960’s, a time when young people were questioning various issues in American society and asserting themselves on those that were important to them. Miriam embraced this movement wholeheartedly by becoming an activist on campus in protest of the Vietnam War, in support of women’s rights, voting rights, and advocating for the marginalized in society. You could say she was a card carrying member of the bra burning generation!

As a teenager, Miriam’s aunt and uncle, a nurse and physician, went on a mission trip to Haiti to establish a medical clinic. Becoming aware of the poverty that the Haitian people endured on a daily basis had a profound effect upon how Miriam would come to see the world and her place in it. Her aunt and uncle’s work became an impetus for a life which she would devote to helping the disenfranchised among her. Graduating from college in 1970 with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Miriam got right to work. She was challenged by a need to enhance early education among the “educationally deprived” children of the Ramapo Hills Community and so, in a quest for equity for that community, she spearheaded a preschool program for three to five year olds under Title I funding. Miriam saw a gap in that age sector in comparison to young children in other nearby populations.  

In 1974, Miriam met a good looking, tall, lanky guy with a sparkle in his eyes and a zest for life who would ultimately become her husband, soulmate and the love of her life. His name was Dennis Faber and he had a friend named John Greendyk whose wife Margie happened to be a good friend of Miriam. John and Margie always thought that Miriam and Dennis would be perfect for each other, so they tried several times to get them together but without success, that is until one day when Margie came up with a perfect plan.

Knowing that Miriam had a great love for animals of all kinds, and knowing that Dennis had a gorgeous Great Dane named Azur, she thought, if she and John couldn’t get Miriam and Dennis together, maybe Azur could. The timing of the arranged encounter turned out to be quite interesting. You see, Dennis had just purchased a brand new Norton 850 Commando motorcycle and he was going to christen the bike by taking a trip from New Jersey to California. He planned to be gone for eight weeks but one detail still needed to be worked out………. “who would take care of Azur while he was gone?” After all, he certainly wasn’t going to take a 165 pound Great Dane across the country on the back of a motorcycle.

The timing of meeting Miriam turned out to be perfect. Dennis asked Miriam if she’d be willing to watch Azur and, much to his surprise, she said yes. In fact, she moved right into his second floor apartment. Over the following eight weeks 105 pound, 5’ 1” Miriam and Azur who was almost her height and bigger and stronger than her, developed quite a bond. Two months later, Dennis returned but Miriam never left. They shared life together for the next ten months and all was well. In fact they fell in love and married on Saturday, September 20, 1975 at Ringwood Manor. The day started out raw and rainy but when the ceremony started and the priest uttered his first words, the clouds parted and the sun blazed brightly. After a rousingly good time hosting a reception at the VFW hall in Pompton Lakes and a weekend honeymoon down the shore in Ortley Beach because Miriam had to be back to work on Monday, the newlyweds began their life as husband and wife in that same home at 100 North 11th Street in Paterson where they first met.

A year or so after their wedding, Miriam and Dennis were presented with an opportunity to purchase a home located at 37 Reeve Avenue in Bloomingdale. It was a fixer upper, to say the least. In fact, the house was being offered on the market for a too-good-to-be-true price of just thirty-two thousand dollars because it had been abandoned and all the pipes in the house froze and burst. Miriam and Dennis jumped on the opportunity. They hired a plumber who fixed all the plumbing for $800 and, soon after moving into that house, in 1976, they welcomed their firstborn – their precious little daughter Kelly. She was followed by baby girl Jill in 1979 and baby boy Chris in 1983. Right before Chris’ arrival, they moved again, this time to 36 Brookside Avenue in Pompton Plains. They weren’t there long when the great flood of 1984 hit. The flood forced them to get to higher ground which they found in the home of good friends, Mary and Dan Shumeyko, who took them in.

Miriam was a La Leche League Leader and supported new mothers in their breastfeeding journey. With three young ones to care for, Miriam’s priorities shifted from career to childcare and, like every other challenge she ever took on, she gave raising her children one hundred ten percent. Not wanting her children to experience an unsettled childhood similar to her own, she did her very best to provide a comfortable, orderly, nurturing and loving home. For the most part it was great but sometimes it had its challenges, like when her daughter went to her friend’s house and experienced chocolate chip cookies for the first time. No longer did Miriam’s nutritious oatmeal cookies make the grade. Miriam was so mindful of nutrition that Oreos were not allowed in the house because Hydrox cookies were better for you. Truth be told, Miriam was a great cook and baker and her family and friends were the fortunate recipients.

When Miriam’s youngest, Chris began full days at school, Miriam set her sights once again on career ambitions. At first she dipped her toe into the waters by substitute teaching for Pequannock Schools and, as the transition became more comfortable, she waded deeper into those waters by freelance teaching one-on-one English as a second language (ESL). During this time, she attended William Paterson at night in pursuit of her Master’s degree in ESL/Bilingual and Curriculum and Instruction. Miriam had an affinity for the Middle School students for whom she was a substitute teacher. She also provided home instruction and tutoring while also being an active parent volunteer and member of the HSA.

Miriam ultimately landed a full-time position with Morris County Vocational Technical School which later became Morris County School of Technology where she continued to teach ESL courses to adults. Her passion for her work coupled with her sharp intellect did not go unnoticed by the school’s board. They ultimately promoted Miriam to School Administrator where she could be more effective in her endeavors in assisting those with lesser opportunities. She applied for and was awarded grants for all kinds of programs including Head Start for children, ESL for their parents, food provided at both programs, and even enrichment experiences like trips to the Camden Aquarium, the Bronx Zoo, and the Museum of Natural History. At one time she had a group of Spanish speaking men in the ESL program who wanted to watch the World Series. She told them that she would grant their wish but only under one condition – they had to speak English to each other while they watched the game. Miriam was loved and adored and affectionately called “Miss Miriam” by everyone who were so appreciative of her efforts. As her years of work at the school continued, Miriam took on more and more responsibilities. She became supervisor for the schools performing arts academy and became involved in the schools culinary arts and beauty and cosmetics schools too. In fact, she was literally involved in every facet of the institute all while continuing to apply for million dollar grants. Sadly, when Miriam was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2008, she had to scale back her efforts at the school. When her cancer went into remission Miriam returned to work and gave it her all until fully retiring in 2013.

At her retirement, Miriam was celebrated and presented with a Lifelong Learning Leadership Award. She was applauded for her work coordinating with Morris, Sussex and Warren counties on the Literacy Committee. “Miriam’s sense of responsibility to both literacy and students of New Jersey has made the opportunity of literacy education available to the greatest number of people possible. At her retirement in December (2013), the Morris County School of Technology was running 23 ESL classes and 9 Adult Basic Skills classes with over a thousand registered students.”

In 2005, Miriam and Dennis moved once more, this time into a mother-daughter home in Butler so that Miriam could be present to care for her ailing Mom. Retirement brought the opportunity for travel which was something she and Dennis shared a great love for. They especially loved sailing on their kayaks. In fact they joined a group called Sails Angels which met four times a year to sail. Sails Angels slogan was “Born to raise sail” and those four sailing trips included a winter trip to Florida, a spring trip to Chesapeake, Virginia, a summer trip to Maine, and a fall trip to Cedar Island in North Carolina which turned out to be Miriam’s favorite trip of all. In fact she kayaked in North Carolina just this past October, 2021.

The Fabers were also avid campers. For years it was the most “intense” camping of all because they camped “in tents”. Admittedly, that wasn’t a great pun but the camping trips were really great! They camped with their young children on the shore of the Great Sacandaga Lake in New York State and always had fun making friends with the other campers. They eventually graduated to an A-Liner pop-up trailer and then to a 24 foot sprinter named Thelma. It even had a peace sign on the hood. Miriam and Dennis’ most recent purchase was another trailer – a Minnie Winnie. Its purchase was necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic because, unlike Thelma, it had a more suitable private bathroom. To say that Dennis and Miriam spanned the globe, during their camping years, might be a bit of an overstatement, but they did get to see a lot of beautiful places. Camping always included hiking and one of their favorite recent hikes was at Watkins Glen State Park in upstate New York because if featured, count them, nineteen waterfalls along the hike!    

While as a little girl, Miriam certainly experienced bumps in the road that made her ride a lot more difficult than it was for kids from more stable homes, but as a young lady, her aunt and uncle’s involvement in Haiti opened her eyes to a world that was even harder than her own. It’s pretty cool that she was present for Pink Floyd’s premier of their Dark Side of the Moon album in New York City, but it was the messages in the music of Bob Dylan, George Harrison of the Beatles, Neil Young and even the Grateful Dead and others that only added to Miriam’s developing resolve to make it her life’s calling to try to make her little part of the world a better place for those with little or no hope.

Looking back, Miriam’s life was one marked by a deep and caring love for anyone and everyone. As the oldest of five children, she often took on the role of mother while her own mother worked hard to make ends meet. She was the consummate “Mom” to her own children too. Only ever wanting the best for them, she even took them to work at Morris County School of Technology so that they could see firsthand the smiles that would appear on the faces of the strugglers in society if you just gave them a little help and love and encouragement. Same goes for the homeless that she ministered to as a volunteer at Holy Spirit Church in Pequannock. And when her own mother needed a little help, Miriam and Dennis didn’t hesitate for a moment to move into a living situation that would allow her to live with them.

Miriam was affectionately known by her grandchildren as “Mimi.” You could find her on the sidelines of her grandson’s baseball and soccer games cheering the loudest as she always had cheered on her children through their various extracurricular activities. She frequently traveled to California to see her grandchildren there. Miriam and Dennis were members of the Band Parents Association at Pequannock Township High School from 1991 until 2002. There was no greater joy for Miriam than watching her children and grandchildren do what they loved. In addition to the love of her grandchildren, Miriam and Dennis welcomed many fur babies into their home preferring to rescue animals in need. The most recent additions, Cookie and Gus miss Miriam. Well done Miriam! Thank you for bringing some peace and love into this world. Now rest in peace.

Miriam was the beloved and cherished wife of Dennis, blessed in marriage for 46 years. She was the most loved mother of: Kelly Myerson and husband Steve of Pequannock, Jill Werner and husband Bill of Pompton Plains, and Chris Faber and wife Brooke of Los Angeles, CA; adoring grandmother of: Nicholas Werner, Thomas Werner, Ryker Faber, CJ Myerson, Sadie Reid Faber, and one grandchild on the way; dearest sister of: Ann Ward of Bishop, CA, Susan Rodriguez and husband Mike of Chester, NJ, Jayne Squier and husband Harry of Ogdensburg, NJ, and Billy O’Brien, Jr. and wife Karen of Denville, NJ; dear step-daughter of Bill O’Brien, Sr. of Butler and dear aunt of numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents James Ward and Teresa O’Brien, her father-in-law and mother-in-law John and Fransina “Fritz” Faber.

Because of Miriam’s deep love for all God’s creatures but with an especially soft spot in her heart for primates, in lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in her name are asked to consider Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary – Saving Friends, Promoting Compassion

Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary
13915 N. State Road 121
Gainesville, FL 32653
Phone: 386.462.777
If you would like to donate online, CLICK HERE