Obituary of Joseph DeAnna

Bedminster: Joseph Clifford "Cliff" DeAnna, passed away on February 17, 2016 at The Chelsea at Bridgewater. Cliff was born 90 years ago on August 3, 1925 in Jersey City, NJ. He was the only child of Anthony and Margaret Dolores DeAnna. Cliff grew up in Jersey City and attended Snyder High where he met his soulmate and future wife Erna Ebeling. They shared many high school interests and began dating – the start of a relationship which was to last for seventy five years. Cliff attended Columbia University and graduated with a BS Degree in Electrical Engineering under the Navy's V-12 Program during World War II. Immediately after graduation he boarded a train to San Francisco and was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. He served in the Philippines and was honorably discharged after completing his service. Upon his return, he and Erna were married on March 27, 1948. Cliff began working at New Jersey Bell Telephone Co. as a Plant Engineer Assistant and was certified as a licensed Professional Engineer in NJ. He advanced through various engineering and management positions at NJ Bell, eventually being promoted to Assistant Vice President. He retired in 1988 after forty-one years of service. Both Cliff and Erna were involved in prayer groups and the charismatic movement at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Bloomfield, their home for thirty years. Cliff was also an active adult leader in the scouting programs at St. Thomas, serving as Cubmaster of Pack 22. Following their relocation to Bedminster twenty years ago, Cliff and Erna became devoted parishioners at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Martinsville, where they attended daily mass for many years. The family enjoyed wonderful yearly vacations in Shokan NY, in a cabin built by Cliff and Erna's father Bill. Their family will cherish those memories forever. Cliff and Erna were a devoted married couple for sixty-seven years until Erna's passing on January 12, 2016. They are survived by five children and their spouses: Joan and Mark Mauriello, Doris and Brian Mornan, Cliff and Maria DeAnna, John and Karen DeAnna, and Robert and Heather DeAnna; thirteen grandchildren: Mary Beth, Michael, Cliff, Kristin, Heather, Elizabeth, Matthew, Marissa, Kevin, Jeffrey, Emily, Natalie, and Erica; and eleven great-grandchildren. Their devotion to each other, to their family, and to their faith is a gift that Cliff and Erna leave to their children and those that follow. Cliff will be greatly missed, but his family is comforted by their faith that he has been reunited with his wife in the presence of Jesus Christ and will be with him for eternity. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the staffs of Chelsea Assisted Living in Bridgewater and Accessible Home Health Care in Branchburg for their compassionate care during the final months of Cliff's life. A Mass of Resurrection will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church in Martinsville. Interment is private.