Eleanor Barrow Schoch

   Eleanor Barrow Schoch, of Glen Ridge, NJ, passed into eternal life on January 15, surrounded by her loving family at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

   Born in Lansdowne, PA, on February 26, 1925, she was the ninth of twelve children.  After graduating from Notre Dame Academy, she worked as a secretary for the wareffort.  In 1945 when her dear fiancé, Joseph T. Schoch, Sr. returned from the European front after World War II, they were married and over the next 18 years they had eight children.  With her children in school and her son, Joseph, in Viet Nam, in 1969 Eleanor decided to return to the workforce at the State of New Jersey, Department of Criminal Justice, in the Attorney General’s Office where she worked for 10 years. Subsequently she became Office Manager at the Chancery Office in the Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, for the Archbishop, Peter L. Gerety.  Upon retirement she and Joe enjoyed travelling, particularly with his brother Frank and his wife Jeffie, to Texas, Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

   “Gram” was a great sports fan, particularly of Notre Dame, enjoying college football, basketball, and the Yankees.  She was an avid supporter of the Olympics and loved sharing proudly, stories about her oldest brother, Dan, winning the bronze medal in the 1936 Berlin summer Olympics.  Her greatest joy was to be surrounded by her large and loving family, with the “little ones” bringing her the biggest smiles.  As a member of the “Greatest Generation”, our G.G. (Great Grammy) had a gift for keeping alive the history of her time-the Great Depression, World War II, and life in her large family-with the stories and memories she shared and everyone loved to hear.

   She was predeceased by her parents, Elizabeth and Daniel H. Barrow, her beloved husband Joseph, five brothers: Daniel, Michael, Robert, Robert A. and Edward and four sisters: Florence, Marie, Gertrude, and Patricia.  She leaves behind her sisters Elizabeth Cox, and Jane Timmons, her daughters and sons-in law, Ellie and Michael Horgan, of Wall, Margaret and Jean Heesen, of Normandy, France, her sons Joseph and his wife Linda of Glen Ridge, Charles and Kathleen of West Orange, Daniel and Ellen of West Orange, Michael and Cheryl of Flanders, John and Teresa of Sparta, Philip and Gail of Park Ridge as well as twenty grandchildren:  Maureen Horgan, Martin, Charles, Joseph, Jennifer, Daniel, Emily, Cheryl Lynn, Corinne, Erin,  Paul, Frank, James, Tyler, Sean, Thomas and Brian Schoch, and eight great grandchildren: Kyle, Mikayla, Liam, Ryan, Brooke and Riley Schoch and Michael and Matthew Noto.

   Her wake will be on Tuesday, January 19th at O’Boyle Funeral Home, 309 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ 07003 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm and 7:00pm to 9:00 pm, as well as on Wednesdaymorning January 20th, from 9:15am to -10:15am at The Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, 32 Elm Avenue, Metuchen, NJ. 08840.  Following will be a funeral mass at 10:30 a.m, at the Cathedral.  Burial will be at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle, 350 Provinceline Road, Wrightstown, New Jersey 08562.  In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to Boys Town, 14100 Crawford Street, Boys Town, Nebraska 68010 or the Wounded Warrior Project, Advance Guard, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675-9917