Margaret (Peggy) Gelnaw

Margaret (Peggy) Gelnaw died peacefully after a long journey with Alzheimers. Her daughters, Martha Gelnaw of New York City, Kim Sterner of Michigan, Noreen Bodman of Belmar, NJ, Aimee Gelnaw and and her wife, Emmy Howe, of Shelburne Falls, MA, Marianne Solomon and her husband, Andy, and Meghan Hoskins, all of Montclair, NJ accompanied their mom to her end. She leaves a long legacy of love of family and community that will forever be indelible.
Peggy shared her life with her husband, Arthur (Artie) V. Gelnaw, (deceased in 1997), and is the matriarch of a large family that includes partners and nine grandchildren: Alyson Sterner of Indiana, Marisa Aversa, deceased, Christian Sterner of Colorado, Sasha Sullivan of Colorado, Caitlin Ziemer of Michigan, Zachary Gelnaw-Rubin of New York City, Dewey Gelnaw-Brickley of Boston, Max Solomon and Devon Hoskins, both of Montclair, NJ, along with great grandchildren, Jordan and Hayden Sterner, Mae and Greta Sterner, Abigail Aversa, Ansley and Harlo Ziemer, and Henson Sullivan.
Peggy held a vast community of friends and extended family members in her embrace. She was universally loved and known for her abundant welcoming spirit, her bottomless tin of chocolate chip cookies, and the open door to anyone who wished to enter and feel the sense of belonging ever-present in the Gelnaw family home. She raised her family in the Our Lady of Mercy parish of Park Ridge, NJ and worked and worshipped for many years at the Church of the Presentation parish in Upper Saddle River, NJ. Her Catholicism was of paramount importance to her and her fierce progressive politics reached into her work in communities near and far.
We know we speak not only for ourselves, but also the vast community of loved ones she cultivated in the extended Gelnaw family, her cousins far and wide, and her community of dear friends, when we say we are all better for having loved and been loved by Peggy/Mommy/Nana. We will miss her forever and carry her example of generosity, compassion, wisdom and abundance forward to make this world a better place for all.
A celebration of Peggy’s life is scheduled on Sunday, January 19th at 1:30PM at the Church of the Presentation, 271 West Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River, NJ. We welcome friends and family from far and near to join us for a mass and reception.
Donations in Peggy’s memory can be made to the “Look For the Helpers Fund In Honor of Peggy Gelnaw” at Together Rising, https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/Peggy.                          Arrangement by O’Boyle Funeral Home. Express condolences at www.oboylefuneralhome.com