Obituary of GAIL SONNERS

Gail Sonners, a long-time resident of Montville, NJ passed away peacefully on October 24, 2018 at almost 65 years old following a 7.5-year battle with ovarian cancer. Born in the Bronx, Gail attended Lincoln High School in Yonkers, NY. She is a proud alumna of Hofstra University (B.A., Psychology and Elementary Education) and Columbia University (MA, Higher Education). She also earned Ph.D credits in Higher Education Administration from NYU. Gail loved her work and it was very important to her. Her early career lead her into Human Resources at Chemical Bank (became JP Morgan Chase) and then New Jersey Institute of Technology. Following these roles, she moved into sales, account management, and business development at Manchester, Drake Beam Morin, PulvermacherFirth, Lee Hecht Harrison, The Ayers Group, and IMPACT Group. In 2006, Gail officially reconnected with her love of higher education and founded Collegiate Insights, a college preparatory coaching firm for high school students on their path to the college admissions process. She was a member of the New Jersey Association for College Admissions Counseling and the Higher Education Consultants Association. She ran this business while working full-time and enjoyed visiting as many college campuses as possible, often sneaking these trips into vacations. On each visit, she would stop by the college bookstore and add to her collection of college apparel. Always one to keep busy, Gail was an avid volunteer. Over the years, she devoted time to the Teachers College Alumni Association of New Jersey, Hofstra University Alumni Group of New Jersey, and Columbia University Alumni Club of Northern New Jersey. She was especially proud to serve on the Board of Directors for the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of the Commerce and Industry Association of NJ (CIANJ) and on the Board of Directors in many roles for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Morris, Bergen, Passaic and Sussex. Throughout her cancer journey, Gail wanted nothing more than to give back to the community which provided her care and served on the Advisory Board of Morristown Medical Center. Through this community, she also joined the strong network of those involved in the NJ chapter of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) and volunteered as much as she could for events and charitable functions. Gail loved to travel and see new places. If she had to pick, her favorite adventures were to Switzerland (her honeymoon), South of France, Scandinavia, and Australia, although you wouldn't know it from her ever-growing collection of magnets she collected as souvenirs from each trip. Those who knew her would call Gail a professional networker. She met friends everywhere she went and loved to stay in touch with everyone, often connecting new friends with old and making her "friend groups" larger. Many loved her particular sense of humor and her compassionate and caring nature- always willing to drop anything she was doing to help someone. She had an artistic personality and loved all kinds of art (especially her husband's paintings) and music (especially piano). Gail is survived by her loving husband, Barry, who was by her side every step of the way, her children Marisa (Ben), Danielle (Stu), Kimberly (Paul), Adina (Adam), Jason (Melissa), her five grandchildren, her mother Helen, her sister Natalie, brother-in-law Peter, nephews Richard and Kenneth, and many cousins. Gail will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her. For those desiring, Memorial Gifts in honor of Gail can be made to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition of New Jersey (www.ovarian.org). INTERMENT SERVICES WILL BE PRIVATE.