Lenore Marie HUFF (née Guertin), 81, of Green Brook, NJ, passed away on June 6, 2021 after a long illness. Mrs. Huff was born and raised in Bayonne, NJ. She was the salutatorian of her class at Holy Family Academy. She graduated with honors from St. Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing in Elizabeth, NJ. Always devoted to learning, she went on to earn an Associate's Degree from Union County College, a Bachelor of Science-Nursing from Jersey City State College, and a Master of Arts from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
She loved reading, especially whodunnits; watching British comedies and murder mysteries; listening to music (classical mostly, but Neil Diamond and Harry Belafonte were special favorites); dancing; and playing bridge, pinochle, and Scrabble. She was an expert seamstress whose outfits won awards in sewing contests. She also enjoyed knitting and crocheting.
She served others all her life. As a hospital nurse, she worked in labor and delivery, the recovery room, on medical-surgical floors, and in one of the first coronary care units in New Jersey. She also worked for private practices; in a wellness program for Ethicon, a division of Johnson & Johnson; and at Visiting Angels, which was demanding both mentally and physically, but very rewarding. She left nursing for a career in counseling, becoming a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor.
She volunteered in many ways. She translated books into Braille for the St. Joseph's School for the Blind. She was a Eucharistic minister and served on the parish council at St. Helen's Church in Westfield, NJ, where the Huff family lived for many years. She spent many hours at the St. Joseph Social Service Center in Elizabeth, NJ. She tutored the same student from elementary school through high school graduation. After retiring, she tutored in the Adult Literacy program in Plainfield, NJ. She taught citizenship sessions and tutored an English-as-a-second-language group. She supported many charities financially, but her favorites were St. Joseph Social Service Center, Habitat for Humanity, and WNET.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Cornelius, and by her son, Stephen. She is survived by a daughter, Susan, a son, Martin (Sara Fritz), a daughter-in-law, Loideth, grandchildren Shaina Nixon (Lawrence), Kyle (Chelsey), Karlee, and Briana and great-grandchildren Zion and Lexi. She is also survived by a sister, Geraldine McCoy (Michael), and a brother, Raymond Guertin (Eileen), as well as cousins and numerous nieces and nephews.
A funeral mass will be celebrated on Monday, June 21, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church, 1890 Washington Valley Road, Martinsville, NJ 08836. The service will be livestreamed, as well, if you are unable to attend in person, which can be viewed here.
