Obituary of Anastasia J Hennessey

Mrs. Anastasia J. McCarthy (Anne) Hennessey died peacefully surrounded by family at The Cupola on February 20, 2018. She was born March 31, 1924 to J. V. and Julia (Reddy) McCarthy on Red Island, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, the fourth of six children. After high school she trained as a legal secretary and worked in a law office in St. John’s. At the age of 19, she went to work as a civilian employee on the U.S. Naval base at Argentia during World War II. There she met the love of her life, John S. Hennessey of Yonkers, New York. They were married in the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s in 1946 and then moved to the United States. Jack and Anne, as everyone knew them, lived most of their married life in Paramus, New Jersey where they raised seven children. They were parishoners of the Annunciation R. C. Church.

Anne was an avid reader. No matter how busy her day, she always took an hour off to put up her feet, sip lukewarm coffee, and read a book or a favorite magazine. She instilled that love of reading in her children, introducing them to the classics of young adult literature. The house was always well stocked with reading material. After the children were grown she became a devoted knitter, turning colorful yarn into caps and mittens to be distributed through the Red Cross Web of Hope. While she knit, she watched her favorite television programs or listened to the music of 1930’s British dance bands. Bert Ambrose was her favorite.

Anne was predeceased by her parents, her husband Jack, and her five siblings. She is survived by her children, Brian and John Hennessey of Fair Lawn, NJ; Victoria (Light) Cummins of Sherman TX; Anne (Wayne Antoniazzi) Hennessey-Antoniazzi of Henrico, VA; Patricia (Warren) Shuey of Collegeville, PA; Sharon (Kieran) Cummings of Midland Park, NJ; and Steve (Patty) Hennessey of Catonsville, MD. She has five grandchildren, Katy (Michael) Schmitz; Stephanie (Andrew Fallows) Shuey; Leslie Johanna Cummins; Dylan Cummings and Janine Shuey, as well as one great grandson, Reaugh Schmitz.  She is also survived by many nieces and nephews from Canada and Connecticut.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to The American Red Cross, 74 Godwin Ave, Ridgewood, NJ  07450 or the Alzheimer’s Association, 425 Eagle Rock Ave, Suite 203, Roseland, NJ 07068, www.alznj.org.

Visitation will be held on Friday February 23, 2018 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., and Saturday from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. at Vander Plaat Funeral Home, (vpfh.com) 257 Godwin Ave., Wyckoff, N.J. Religious service will begin at 11:00 a.m. Saturday February 24, 2018 at Vander Plaat Funeral Home. Interment will follow at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, NJ.