Priscilla Irene Latza, age 73 of Lincoln Park and formerly of Wayne died peacefully with her family by her bedside on Friday, January 4, 2013.

Priscilla, or Pris as she was known, was born in Teaneck and raised in Guttenberg, NJ, the eldest of two daughters of Merwin W. and Mary M. Chasmar (nee Oberauer). As a little girl she loved playing with her dolls and her pet rabbit Thumper. She also loved taking dance lessons and vacationing each summer with her parents and sister at Seaside Park, NJ. It was in Seaside Park where Priscilla landed her first job as a waitress.

As a young woman, Priscilla graduated from Holy Angels High School in Fort Lee and went on to attend and earn a B.A. in Education from Glassboro State College. She first taught at the elementary level in School Number One in West New York, NJ.

While teaching, she met a nice young man named Robert Latza through her best friend. They fell in love but marriage had to wait until Robert returned home from serving in the U.S. Army. They married on August 17, 1963 at St. Mary’s Church in West New York, NJ and got their first apartment together in Little Ferry. Then, in 1966 Robert and Priscilla moved to Wayne where they remained for many years. Priscilla continued her teaching career, now as an elementary school teacher at Our Lady of the Valley School in Wayne. Her own four children were born in 1968, 1971, 1973, and 1977. During those years, Pris took a break from full-time teaching and poured all of her heart, soul and passion into caring for and loving them. She got the kids involved in all sorts of extra-curricular activities and spent a lot of time in her Chevy Impala, driving them to dance lessons, Brownies, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Wayne P.A.L. as well as Preakness Pool swim competitions. The house was a busy place with four growing little ones plus her cat Tiger who lived for nineteen years and her German Shepherd Rommel who the kids loved to ride like a horse. In between, she subbed a little at Our Lady of the Valley and did some billing for Plains Pharmacy in Wayne. Priscilla also loved being involved with the Pin Pushers, a church bowling league that bowled at T-Bowl, and she and Robert were also members of the church’s Mr. and Mrs. Club. In the summertime, she continued the traditions of her own childhood by organizing family vacations to Seaside Park and other memories were created from trips to Lake Placid and Fort Ticonderoga as well as Jungle Habitat.

In later years, Priscilla dedicated herself to her four grandchildren. It was nothing for Mom-Mom, as she was called, to spend three hours playing monopoly with Tyler and Austin, or attend Kiana’s many soccer games and dance recitals or Sarah’s winter and spring school concerts, and she especially loved Grandparents Day! These activities were no drudgery for Priscilla. She derived great joy by pouring her own life into her grandchildren’s lives. Her granddaughter Kiana wrote the following poem in memory of her Mom-Mom:

Although I cannot see you

I feel your presence near

I will hold you close in memory

I now know you have let go of all fear

So sleep now with the angels

And let your heart rest

Although our hearts are broken

We know God took the best

So dance beyond those golden gates

And join your loving mom

I’ll see you when I’m sleeping

And pray for you to come

And although losing you is painful

And I don’t wanna let go

All I have to do is simply close my eyes

And see your face shine bright with glow

I’ll look you up inside my heart

I am certain I just have to look up in the sky

To kow we are never apart

So rest now my beautiful grandma

I’ll never forget how much you have done

So until my hand meets yours again

Sleep now in the sun

Other special times for Pris included Sunday mornings at the local I-Hop or other local diners with her son Tim and going to lunch with her friends Denise or Dorothy.

Priscilla will be remembered for her intelligence (she knew all the answers on Jeopardy!), for her love of reading books, especially ones written by James Patterson, for her wit, humor and non-judgmental, open-minded demeanor. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind if needed, but she was also a loyal friend and wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and sister.

Priscilla is survived by her four loving children: Geralyn Latza of Boonton Township, Greg Latza of Wayne, Meribeth Domenic and husband Jeff of Washington, NJ, and Timothy Latza of Lincoln Park; four grandchildren: Kiana Anne Lundy of Boonton Township, Tyler Domenic of Washington, NJ, Sarah Latza of Ringwood and Austin Domenic of Washington, NJ; her sister Deborah Ciambrone and husband Tony of Wayne and her niece Jillian. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Robert in 2002.

Those inclined to make a memorial donation are asked to consider the American Cancer Society, NJ Chapter, 20 Mercer Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601.