Elizabeth Schmelz

Schmelz, Elizabeth "Betty" of Bergenfield. was born on January 25, 1927 in Hillside, NJ. She was a drum majorette in the safety patrol band of Fairview and loved horseback riding, china painting, and lace making. She moved to Bergenfield after she was married and lived there for over fifty years, raising her family and becoming an important part of the community. She attended mass at Ascension Church and was the president of their Rosary Society. She loved flowers and was a talented gardener. She was a member of the Bergenfield Garden Club and won ribbons for her arrangements at their flower shows. She was the driving force behind the Beautify Bergenfield Committee and spearheaded their efforts to improve the appearance of property all around town. Betty wrote regularly for the Twin Borough newspaper, reporting on events in Bergenfield in her weekly column. She was the co-chair of the Bergenfield Bicentennial committee, and there, discovered a passion for state and local history. She served as the president of the Bergenfield Museum Society from its establishment in 1976, and worked tirelessly to raise money to build a permanent home for its ever-growing collection. Always an artistic person, Betty conceived and created numerous exhibits for the museum that introduced the residents of Bergenfield to their own history. She published, "T.R. Cooper's Chair Factory: Early Industry in Rural Schraalenburgh" in 1985 and "Houses of Worship in Bergenfield" in 1990, both of which accompanied exhibits put together by the Museum Society. She was also a member of the Bergen County Historical Society and published, "Trees of Life: Selections from Bergen County Folk Art" in 1983 in recognition of Bergen County's Tricentennial. Betty was honored for her efforts as the Zonta Woman of the Year in 2001, and October 28, 2006 was Betty Schmelz Day in Bergenfield. Her one piece of unfinished business was that the Bergenfield Museum Society has not yet reopened its doors at its new home at Cooper's Pond. She leaves that job to her friends, neighbors, and colleagues of Bergenfield, the town she loved and adopted as her own. She is survived by her sister Katherine Nasuti of Deerfield, MA, her brother Antone Nelsen of Jackson, NJ, her brother Richard Nelsen of Hackensack, NJ, her daughter Joan of Lakeland, TN, her son Robert of Bergenfield, her son John Scott of Shreveport, LA, and her granddaughters, Macy and Lola of Shreveport, LA. The funeral will leave Riewerts Memorial Home, 187 So. Washington Ave. Bergenfield on Monday at 10 AM for the Funeral Liturgy at R.C. Church of The Ascension, New Milford, NJ at 10:30 AM. Interment St. Mary's Cemetery, Whippany, NJ. The family will receive friends Saturday 2-4 & 7-9 PM. Send condolences at www.riewertsmemorialhome.com







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Funeral Home: Riewerts Memorial Home 187 So. Washington Ave. Bergenfield, NJ US 07621

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Previous Events

visitation
Saturday, March 22, 2008
cemetery
Monday, March 24, 2008
service
Monday, March 24, 2008