Obituary of Sheila Strelec

Sheila Strelec passed away at age 80, on Wednesday, July 1st at Bryan Manor in Chester, NJ. Born in Somerset, Pennsylvania; Sheila grew up in Maplewood and Millburn. After marrying Jim Caffrey, they moved to Chatham, followed by a brief stay in Denver Colorado, before settling in Millington New Jersey where they raised their family. Years later Sheila remarried Michael Strelec and moved to Basking Ridge before finally settling in Hillsborough. After graduating from the Berkeley Secretarial School in East Orange, Sheila went to work for the Chubb Insurance Company. Sheila stayed home while her children grew up and later went back to school; earning her cosmetology license. She worked as a geriatric beautician for many years at various nursing homes throughout New Jersey including Bryan Manor. Sheila was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hillsborough NJ. She adored every moment she had with her grandchildren, and enjoyed crafting, crocheting, and gardening. Sheila was also an incredible baker and loved bird watching. She is predeceased by her husband Michael in 2019. She is survived by her children Timothy Caffrey and his wife Robin, Colleen Pepe and her husband Louis, Tracey Ant and her husband Todd, Dan Caffrey, and Kerry Mastriano and her husband Chris; Thirteen grandchildren, Shannon (Matt), Dan, Matthew, Caitlin, Kyle, Meghan, Patrick, Samantha, Elizabeth, Michaela, Benjamin, Jessica, and Brianna; two brothers, Michael Byrne and his wife Jean, and Mark Byrne and his wife Blanca. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, extended family, and loving friends. A visitation will be held on Monday, July 6 from 8:30-9:30 at the Higgins Home for Funerals 752 Mountain Blvd, Watchung NJ. A funeral mass will be held at 10:00 am on Monday at St. James RC Church in Basking Ridge, immediately followed by internment at St. Vincent de Paul cemetery in Stirling NJ. Memorial contributions may be made in her loving memory to the Dementia Society of America at https://www.dementiasociety.org/donate or to the Raptor Trust at https://theraptortrust.org/.