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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, January 21, 2016 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, followed immediately by a Funeral Service in the chapel of the funeral home at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at Laurel Grove Memorial Park, Totowa.
Shirley May Heisler (nee Weber) age 90 of St. Augustine, FL and formerly of the Pines Lake section of Wayne, died on Thursday, January 14, 2016. At the moment of her passing, she was receiving the love of her family who were faithfully by her side.
Shirley was born in Clifton, the oldest of four children of Fred and Harriet Weber. Spending her earliest years on Clifton’s Crooks Ave., the family eventually moved around the corner to Christie Ave. The house on Christie Ave. was right by the Vanderworth farm where Shirley and her brother Fred would be sent by their mom or dad to get fresh milk. They would knock on Mr. Vanderworth’s farmhouse door and he’d come out in his Dutch wooden shoes (klompen) and go to the ice house to get them the freshest milk in Clifton.
Shirley was a born leader. Even when attending School Number 11, right down the street from her house on Christie Ave., she earned the position of a junior police by helping the crossing guard safely get her classmates to school. It was in this elementary school that she met August J. “Gus” Heisler, Jr. She didn’t know at that time, but she was someday going to marry him. At home, Shirley was a wonderful big sister to her younger siblings. Being the oldest child helped her practice for her future roles as mother and homemaker and, while known around the home as “Sarge” she instilled much love, kindness and generosity to all.
When Shirley became a teenager, she moved again, this time to Crestwood Avenue in Nutley. She and Gus Heisler parted ways but only for a while. She attended Nutley High School, then went to work as a pharmacy manager at Bay Drug on Franklin Ave.
One night while at a dance at a place called the Cliftonia, Shirley and Gus were reunited. They started dating but Gus had a hard time getting to first base with Shirley because Fred Weber, her father was, let’s just say, not very accepting of Gus. Not to be dissuaded by this challenge, Fred and Gus’ relationship actually started to warm up when Shirley’s father learned that Gus had a case of low brass shot gun shells. You see, that’s when these two men discovered something that they had in common - a love of hunting. A case of shot gun shells was an exciting prospect to Fred because of that love of hunting, but, with the second world war going on, shot-gun shells were in short supply. After that, Gus and Fred actually became good buddies, often hunting and fishing together on Gus’ parents farm in Callicoon, NY.
It was on that Callicoon, NY, 80-acre farm on a beautiful day in 1948 that a local pastor united Shirley and Gus into the holy bonds of matrimony. After the wedding ceremony, their family and friends helped the newlyweds celebrate with a grand reception at the nearby Olympia Hotel. They settled in under the same roof for the first time, moving into the second-floor apartment of Gus’ parents’ house on 4th Street in Clifton. Gus worked every day in the family business – Heisler Machine – a shop right behind that house. Shirley, settled into the role, she had unwittingly groomed herself for, as a homemaker and mother of three beautiful children. A few years later, the shop moved and Shirley and Gus moved into their first own home on Broad Street. Soon after that, in 1961, they moved to the Pines Lake section of a newly developing town called Wayne.
First of all, Shirley was a great cook! In the early days of her marriage, she would often have the opportunity to cook many of Gus’ favorite childhood recipes with her mother-in-law. Since Gus’ mom was from Hungary, it was hard for her to convey the recipes for these Hungarian dishes to her daughter-in-law Shirley. Being as resourceful as ever, Shirley had the solution. As Gus’ mom made the dishes, Shirley would stay right by her side and she’d patiently write down all the ingredients, how much of each, and the method by which “Mom” prepared Gus’ favorites. Before long, she had them all recorded and Gus was a happy guy!
The Pines Lake community was also blessed by Shirley’s organizational skills as she always stepped up to the plate to help plan the annual Pines Lake 4th of July and Labor Day picnics. She also loved family time up at the Callicoon Farm. Now in its 5th generation of Heisler ownership, Shirley loved being there to pick berries and make fresh jams, and every Thanksgiving and winter weekends too.
Shirley thought nothing of regularly hosting dinners for thirty or more members of her family and friends. Very giving, she was always there for anyone in need with a pot of her delicious chicken soup. She enjoyed giving back to the community through volunteering weekly at the Junior Exchange.
Shirley was a big shopper. She and her girlfriends loved clothes shopping at Little Marci’s in West, NY and doing their annual weekend holiday shopping sprees at the outlets. She and Gus enjoyed the friends they made at the North Jersey Country Club and when they moved permanently to St. Augustine, Florida in 1992, they became members of the Plantation Country Club. Shirley and Gus made a great team. Together they were blessed to travel the world to destinations including Africa, Alaska, Bora Bora, all of Western Europe, in fact every continent in the world except Antarctica.
Shirley’s greatest joy was truly caring for her family and friends. Her role as the Sarge was such an integral part of her life and it continued to span the generations from her siblings to her children and right on down to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren as she always made it her business to lovingly look after their safety and welfare. For over ten years, Shirley and Gus had the joy of taking the whole family to the Colony in Long Boat Key, Florida.
Shirley is survived by her beloved husband of 67 years, August J. Heisler, Jr. of St. Augustine, Florida; one son: August J. Heisler, III of Ponte Verde, Florida; two daughters: Shirley L. and husband Jack Howard of Frenchtown, NJ, and Judy H. and husband Jack Morgan of Charlotte, North Carolina; eight grandchildren: Michael Ryan Holcomb, Kimberly Holcomb-Cooper, Jack Calvin Morgan, Carter August Morgan, Clayton Weber Morgan, August J. Heisler IV, Brendan Heisler and Thorsen Heisler; eleven great-grandchildren: Mackenzie, Aidan, Morgan, Rylie, Hunter, Caroline, Addison, Jack, Maddox, Charlotte, and James; one sister: Harriet Palmer and her companion Paul Maymon of Vero Beach, Florida; and two brothers: Fred Weber of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Russell and wife Barbara Weber of Matawan, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Shirley’s name are asked to consider the Alzheimer’s Association, 400 Morris Ave., Suite 251, Denville, NJ 07834 (www.alz.org/nj) or Community Hospice of NE Florida, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, FL 32257, Attn: Community Hospice Foundation.
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, January 21, 2016 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, followed immediately by a Funeral Service in the chapel of the funeral home at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at Laurel Grove Memorial Park, Totowa.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Thursday, January 21, 2016 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, followed immediately by a Funeral Service in the chapel of the funeral home at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at Laurel Grove Memorial Park, Totowa.
Shirley May Heisler (nee Weber) age 90 of St. Augustine, FL and formerly of the Pines Lake section of Wayne, died on Thursday, January 14, 2016. At the moment of her passing, she was receiving the love of her family who were faithfully by her side.
Shirley was born in Clifton, the oldest of four children of Fred and Harriet Weber. Spending her earliest years on Clifton’s Crooks Ave., the family eventually moved around the corner to Christie Ave. The house on Christie Ave. was right by the Vanderworth farm where Shirley and her brother Fred would be sent by their mom or dad to get fresh milk. They would knock on Mr. Vanderworth’s farmhouse door and he’d come out in his Dutch wooden shoes (klompen) and go to the ice house to get them the freshest milk in Clifton.
Shirley was a born leader. Even when attending School Number 11, right down the street from her house on Christie Ave., she earned the position of a junior police by helping the crossing guard safely get her classmates to school. It was in this elementary school that she met August J. “Gus” Heisler, Jr. She didn’t know at that time, but she was someday going to marry him. At home, Shirley was a wonderful big sister to her younger siblings. Being the oldest child helped her practice for her future roles as mother and homemaker and, while known around the home as “Sarge” she instilled much love, kindness and generosity to all.
When Shirley became a teenager, she moved again, this time to Crestwood Avenue in Nutley. She and Gus Heisler parted ways but only for a while. She attended Nutley High School, then went to work as a pharmacy manager at Bay Drug on Franklin Ave.
One night while at a dance at a place called the Cliftonia, Shirley and Gus were reunited. They started dating but Gus had a hard time getting to first base with Shirley because Fred Weber, her father was, let’s just say, not very accepting of Gus. Not to be dissuaded by this challenge, Fred and Gus’ relationship actually started to warm up when Shirley’s father learned that Gus had a case of low brass shot gun shells. You see, that’s when these two men discovered something that they had in common - a love of hunting. A case of shot gun shells was an exciting prospect to Fred because of that love of hunting, but, with the second world war going on, shot-gun shells were in short supply. After that, Gus and Fred actually became good buddies, often hunting and fishing together on Gus’ parents farm in Callicoon, NY.
It was on that Callicoon, NY, 80-acre farm on a beautiful day in 1948 that a local pastor united Shirley and Gus into the holy bonds of matrimony. After the wedding ceremony, their family and friends helped the newlyweds celebrate with a grand reception at the nearby Olympia Hotel. They settled in under the same roof for the first time, moving into the second-floor apartment of Gus’ parents’ house on 4th Street in Clifton. Gus worked every day in the family business – Heisler Machine – a shop right behind that house. Shirley, settled into the role, she had unwittingly groomed herself for, as a homemaker and mother of three beautiful children. A few years later, the shop moved and Shirley and Gus moved into their first own home on Broad Street. Soon after that, in 1961, they moved to the Pines Lake section of a newly developing town called Wayne.
First of all, Shirley was a great cook! In the early days of her marriage, she would often have the opportunity to cook many of Gus’ favorite childhood recipes with her mother-in-law. Since Gus’ mom was from Hungary, it was hard for her to convey the recipes for these Hungarian dishes to her daughter-in-law Shirley. Being as resourceful as ever, Shirley had the solution. As Gus’ mom made the dishes, Shirley would stay right by her side and she’d patiently write down all the ingredients, how much of each, and the method by which “Mom” prepared Gus’ favorites. Before long, she had them all recorded and Gus was a happy guy!
The Pines Lake community was also blessed by Shirley’s organizational skills as she always stepped up to the plate to help plan the annual Pines Lake 4th of July and Labor Day picnics. She also loved family time up at the Callicoon Farm. Now in its 5th generation of Heisler ownership, Shirley loved being there to pick berries and make fresh jams, and every Thanksgiving and winter weekends too.
Shirley thought nothing of regularly hosting dinners for thirty or more members of her family and friends. Very giving, she was always there for anyone in need with a pot of her delicious chicken soup. She enjoyed giving back to the community through volunteering weekly at the Junior Exchange.
Shirley was a big shopper. She and her girlfriends loved clothes shopping at Little Marci’s in West, NY and doing their annual weekend holiday shopping sprees at the outlets. She and Gus enjoyed the friends they made at the North Jersey Country Club and when they moved permanently to St. Augustine, Florida in 1992, they became members of the Plantation Country Club. Shirley and Gus made a great team. Together they were blessed to travel the world to destinations including Africa, Alaska, Bora Bora, all of Western Europe, in fact every continent in the world except Antarctica.
Shirley’s greatest joy was truly caring for her family and friends. Her role as the Sarge was such an integral part of her life and it continued to span the generations from her siblings to her children and right on down to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren as she always made it her business to lovingly look after their safety and welfare. For over ten years, Shirley and Gus had the joy of taking the whole family to the Colony in Long Boat Key, Florida.
Shirley is survived by her beloved husband of 67 years, August J. Heisler, Jr. of St. Augustine, Florida; one son: August J. Heisler, III of Ponte Verde, Florida; two daughters: Shirley L. and husband Jack Howard of Frenchtown, NJ, and Judy H. and husband Jack Morgan of Charlotte, North Carolina; eight grandchildren: Michael Ryan Holcomb, Kimberly Holcomb-Cooper, Jack Calvin Morgan, Carter August Morgan, Clayton Weber Morgan, August J. Heisler IV, Brendan Heisler and Thorsen Heisler; eleven great-grandchildren: Mackenzie, Aidan, Morgan, Rylie, Hunter, Caroline, Addison, Jack, Maddox, Charlotte, and James; one sister: Harriet Palmer and her companion Paul Maymon of Vero Beach, Florida; and two brothers: Fred Weber of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Russell and wife Barbara Weber of Matawan, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Shirley’s name are asked to consider the Alzheimer’s Association, 400 Morris Ave., Suite 251, Denville, NJ 07834 (www.alz.org/nj) or Community Hospice of NE Florida, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, FL 32257, Attn: Community Hospice Foundation.
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