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Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Thursday, September 17, 2015 from 4-8 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, September 18, 2015 at 9:30 AM from the funeral home, then to St. Mary’s R.C. Church, 17 Pompton Ave., Pompton Lakes, where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Nancy A. Coss, age 73 and a resident of Wayne since 1966, passed peacefully, her loving family gathered by her side, on Tuesday, September 15, 2015.
Nancy was born in Jersey City. As a little girl, her family moved to Wanaque where she spent most of her formative years, attending St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School before moving on to Lakeland Regional High School where she graduated with the Class of 1960.
It was while attending high school that Nancy met the man she would eventually marry. His name was Robert “Bob” Coss and he was in the same grade as her. Now, the clothing style of that era was for young ladies to wear button-up sweaters backwards, matched with a nice skirt. Apparently, Bob found this sweater/skirt combo to work very well for Nancy. They dated some, starting in their junior year, but it wasn’t until after graduation that they started to see each other more seriously. You see, their relationship rekindled when Bob, who was now working as a postal carrier with the U.S Postal Service, was making deliveries in the neighborhood where Nancy’s uncle lived. One day on his route he ran into Nancy who handed him an envelope from her to him. When his workday was over, he opened the envelope and read the note from Nancy in which she declared that she’d be available to go out with Bob any night he chose. They eventually fell in love but marriage had to wait because Bob was drafted into the U.S. Army. While away, he mailed Nancy an engagement ring, just to seal-the-deal. While Nancy waited two years for Bob to serve his country, she decided to return to school and received her master’s degree in education from Paterson State College – today known as William Paterson University. When Bob returned home from the Army, Nancy became his wife on Saturday, July 16, 1966. They pledged their wedding vows before family and friends at their hometown parish - St. Francis of Assisi Church in Wanaque. The wedding reception followed at Lydeckers Northwood Banquet Hall in Butler, then they honeymooned in Wildwood Crest, NJ, but only for four short days. That’s all the time Bob’s new employer would allow since he just started the job after returning from Army service.
That same year, the newlyweds moved to Wayne where they soon started a family, blest first with their daughter Tricia and later their son Brian. Nancy became a full-time mom, but when Brian was old enough to begin kindergarten, Nancy embarked on her new career. Previously she had taught at the elementary school level but, with master’s degree in hand, she graduated to the high school level, taking a job as the English-as-a-second-language teacher at Passaic County Vocational Technical School in Wayne. She loved teaching, taking great pride in her profession. An English teacher throughout her thirty years with the school, she regularly took the time to write personal letters to the parents of all of her students in which she praised the children for their accomplishments and challenged them to try harder when necessary. She enjoyed the respect of her students and colleagues and retired in 2009.
In her times of leisure, Nancy loved to read – especially mystery suspense thrillers, and some of her favorite authors included Jonathan Kellerman, James Patterson, and John Grisham. She also loved doing her daily newspaper crossword puzzles. Most of all she cherished her time spent with family and friends especially doting on her two grandchildren.
Nancy cherished great memories of vacations with her young family to Wildwood Crest and pulling the family camper with their Buick Estate Wagon to Maine, Washington DC, Florida – essentially all over the east coast of the U.S. When Tricia and Brian were grown up, she and Bob traveled extensively to Italy, Ireland, Scotland, England, the Canadian Rockies, Grand Canyon glitzy and glittery Las Vegas, and on countless cruises. Her favorite local eateries included Nadie’s Touch of Pasta when it was located in the T-Bowl shopping center, Aldo’s of Wayne, and the Grasshopper Irish Pub and Restaurant, also in Wayne, for lunch.
Nancy enjoyed the love of family and friends including the many dogs she had: Radar, Cindy, Callie, and little Tina. Always devoted to her Catholic faith, she made many great friends as a member of Our Lady of the Valley parish which she lived close to in her early days in Wayne. It was there that she and Bob joined the Mr. and Mrs. Club where the first event they got involved in was a square dance. They made friendships at that dance that have remained for over forty years. For the past thirteen years, Nancy was a member of St. Mary’s R.C. Church in Pompton Lakes where she and Bob so much enjoyed the ministry of the shepherding priests.
Nancy is survived by her beloved husband Robert, to whom she was married for 49 years; her dear daughter Tricia L. and husband Ronald Winkler of Haskell, her dear son Brian and wife Francesca of Hardyston; two adored grandchildren: Kaitlyn and Aidan; and her two dear sisters: Dorothy and husband Victor Picazio of Monroe Township and Joan and husband Michael Nagel of Boca Raton, FL.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Nancy’s name are asked to consider Susan G. Komen (for breast cancer), P. O. Box 650309 Dallas, TX 75265-0309, or at komen.org
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 Thursday, September 17, 2015 from 4-8 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, September 18, 2015 at 9:30 AM from the funeral home, then to St. Mary’s R.C. Church, 17 Pompton Ave., Pompton Lakes, where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Thursday, September 17, 2015 from 4-8 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, September 18, 2015 at 9:30 AM from the funeral home, then to St. Mary’s R.C. Church, 17 Pompton Ave., Pompton Lakes, where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Nancy A. Coss, age 73 and a resident of Wayne since 1966, passed peacefully, her loving family gathered by her side, on Tuesday, September 15, 2015.
Nancy was born in Jersey City. As a little girl, her family moved to Wanaque where she spent most of her formative years, attending St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School before moving on to Lakeland Regional High School where she graduated with the Class of 1960.
It was while attending high school that Nancy met the man she would eventually marry. His name was Robert “Bob” Coss and he was in the same grade as her. Now, the clothing style of that era was for young ladies to wear button-up sweaters backwards, matched with a nice skirt. Apparently, Bob found this sweater/skirt combo to work very well for Nancy. They dated some, starting in their junior year, but it wasn’t until after graduation that they started to see each other more seriously. You see, their relationship rekindled when Bob, who was now working as a postal carrier with the U.S Postal Service, was making deliveries in the neighborhood where Nancy’s uncle lived. One day on his route he ran into Nancy who handed him an envelope from her to him. When his workday was over, he opened the envelope and read the note from Nancy in which she declared that she’d be available to go out with Bob any night he chose. They eventually fell in love but marriage had to wait because Bob was drafted into the U.S. Army. While away, he mailed Nancy an engagement ring, just to seal-the-deal. While Nancy waited two years for Bob to serve his country, she decided to return to school and received her master’s degree in education from Paterson State College – today known as William Paterson University. When Bob returned home from the Army, Nancy became his wife on Saturday, July 16, 1966. They pledged their wedding vows before family and friends at their hometown parish - St. Francis of Assisi Church in Wanaque. The wedding reception followed at Lydeckers Northwood Banquet Hall in Butler, then they honeymooned in Wildwood Crest, NJ, but only for four short days. That’s all the time Bob’s new employer would allow since he just started the job after returning from Army service.
That same year, the newlyweds moved to Wayne where they soon started a family, blest first with their daughter Tricia and later their son Brian. Nancy became a full-time mom, but when Brian was old enough to begin kindergarten, Nancy embarked on her new career. Previously she had taught at the elementary school level but, with master’s degree in hand, she graduated to the high school level, taking a job as the English-as-a-second-language teacher at Passaic County Vocational Technical School in Wayne. She loved teaching, taking great pride in her profession. An English teacher throughout her thirty years with the school, she regularly took the time to write personal letters to the parents of all of her students in which she praised the children for their accomplishments and challenged them to try harder when necessary. She enjoyed the respect of her students and colleagues and retired in 2009.
In her times of leisure, Nancy loved to read – especially mystery suspense thrillers, and some of her favorite authors included Jonathan Kellerman, James Patterson, and John Grisham. She also loved doing her daily newspaper crossword puzzles. Most of all she cherished her time spent with family and friends especially doting on her two grandchildren.
Nancy cherished great memories of vacations with her young family to Wildwood Crest and pulling the family camper with their Buick Estate Wagon to Maine, Washington DC, Florida – essentially all over the east coast of the U.S. When Tricia and Brian were grown up, she and Bob traveled extensively to Italy, Ireland, Scotland, England, the Canadian Rockies, Grand Canyon glitzy and glittery Las Vegas, and on countless cruises. Her favorite local eateries included Nadie’s Touch of Pasta when it was located in the T-Bowl shopping center, Aldo’s of Wayne, and the Grasshopper Irish Pub and Restaurant, also in Wayne, for lunch.
Nancy enjoyed the love of family and friends including the many dogs she had: Radar, Cindy, Callie, and little Tina. Always devoted to her Catholic faith, she made many great friends as a member of Our Lady of the Valley parish which she lived close to in her early days in Wayne. It was there that she and Bob joined the Mr. and Mrs. Club where the first event they got involved in was a square dance. They made friendships at that dance that have remained for over forty years. For the past thirteen years, Nancy was a member of St. Mary’s R.C. Church in Pompton Lakes where she and Bob so much enjoyed the ministry of the shepherding priests.
Nancy is survived by her beloved husband Robert, to whom she was married for 49 years; her dear daughter Tricia L. and husband Ronald Winkler of Haskell, her dear son Brian and wife Francesca of Hardyston; two adored grandchildren: Kaitlyn and Aidan; and her two dear sisters: Dorothy and husband Victor Picazio of Monroe Township and Joan and husband Michael Nagel of Boca Raton, FL.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Nancy’s name are asked to consider Susan G. Komen (for breast cancer), P. O. Box 650309 Dallas, TX 75265-0309, or at komen.org
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