Obituary of ELEANOR M. PARKER

Eleanor Maryann (nee Dunn) Parker, of West Caldwell, passed away on Saturday, September 14, 2013 surrounded by her loving family. Ellie was born in Brooklyn, NY on January 3, 1927 to Mary and Adam Dunn, (co-founder of the Cook and Dunn Paint Corporation, Newark, NJ) and moved to Bloomfield in 1933. At age 13, she began working summers at Cook and Dunn, becoming a full time employee upon graduation from college. Ellie was a 1944 graduate of Bloomfield High School, where she was an editor of the school newspaper and a member of the marching band where she played the glockenspiel. A psychology major at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA., she graduated magna cum laude in 1948. On September 5, 1949, Ellie married W. George Parker and moved to Bloomfield where they lived for 21 years. Ellie and her husband Wally were residents of Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Little Falls, and most recently, West Caldwell. She was an accomplished piano player and an avid golfer. She and Wally traveled extensively and enjoyed their homes with children and grandchildren in Boca Raton, FL and Bay Head, NJ. Over the years, Ellie volunteered her time with the Glen Ridge Public Library, the Mountainside Ladies Auxiliary, where she served as president, the local chapter of the American Association of University Women, the Montclair Service Club, and the Women's Club of Glen Ridge, where she was a lifelong member. In 2003, Ellie was honored by the American Red Cross with the Comradeship Award for her volunteerism and humanitarian efforts. Ellie is survived by her best friend and loving husband of 64 years, Wally Parker; and her children, Dr. Paul Parker, Karen Skoda, and Barbara Kalemkerian; daughter-in-law Angela Parker, and son-in-law, John Kalemkerian. She is also survived by her eight grandchildren of whom she was so proud: Matthew, Andrea, Alexis, Eleanor, Greg, Catherine, Douglas, and Christopher; two grandsons-in-law, Joseph Bonanno and Matthew Materkoski; and a great-grandson Mario Joseph Bonanno. Visitation will be Tuesday, September 17, 2-4 & 7-9pm at the CAGGIANO MEMORIAL, 62 Grove Street, Montclair, NJ. For directions, please see caggianomemorial.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Women's Club of Glen Ridge, 219 Ridgewood Avenue, Glen Ridge, NJ 07028.