Genevieve Mary Powers

Genevieve Mary Powers, née Kwasnieski, died on October 11th (see Yelp). She leaves behind her deeply grieving daughters Mary Ellen, Kathleen, and Eileen Powers and her many, much-loved nieces and nephews. She is preceded by her husband, Matthew Vincent Powers, and her seven siblings.

Born in Elwood, New Jersey, she grew up on the family farm in Devonshire and lived for years in Bayonne, Jersey City, and Rutherford before moving to Mountainside. With her husband, Matthew, she volunteered to co-chair both the Borough of Mountainside's Diamond Jubilee Committee, and 1976 Bicentennial Committee and celebrations. For years, they organized and ran the Mountainside PTA Fairs. She was co-leader of a Mountainside Girl Scout Cadet Troupe with her daughter Mary Ellen and Janet Wells.

Genevieve was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Church where for years she and her husband co-chaired the committees for the Halloween Costume Parties and the New Year's Eve Dances and Raffle. She was a member of the Our Lady of Lourdes' Rosary Altar Society and 4Cs Crochet Club, and volunteered for 19 years as an adorer at the Perpetual Adoration Chapel. She was a member of Mountainside’s: Newcomers; PTA; Investment; and Senior Citizens Clubs; and, with her husband, several dance clubs.

She worked for years including: at RCA, where she helped make communication equipment during WWII; as a seamstress at Maidenform; and, at Muirhead Industries. In retirement she pursued her love of learning by taking college courses at Union County College and earning her Associates Degree in her 80’s.

As an artist, her talents included oil painting, sketching, sewing, cooking, baking, writing, and stained glass construction. Her leisure activities included: gardening, woodworking, upholstering, wallpapering, bird watching, reading, and traveling with her family. She had an amazing ability to disassemble and repair any garment or appliance, and intuitively diagnose and fix electrical, plumbing, and most automobile problems. She loved and cared for her family, home, and pets and stray animals. Until the end, she always put her family’s needs first.

A deeply religious woman of great faith, she loved family and being alive, and continued to fight for her life until it was ended, against her family's protests and her own religious beliefs and wishes.

For her daughters, her niece Carol, and many others she was a constant source of love, inspiration, wisdom, creativity, and fun. To the end, she retained her courage, strength, faith, intelligence, wisdom, sense of humor, and ability to amaze and inspire. Her love and loyalty for her family and friends was unfailing and without limits. For them she is, and will remain, forever loved and irreplaceable.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday October 16th at Higgins and Bonner Echo Lake Funeral Home in Westfield, NJ from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm. A funeral mass will be held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Mountainside, NJ on Thursday October 17th at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please give a donation to the organization of your choosing in her memory.

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