Sally H. Bockus

Sarah (Sally) Elizabeth Hickok Bockus

1932 – 2023 (age 91)

Sally H. Bockus of Mountainside passed away peacefully at home on the morning of March 9, 2023.  Sally was born on January 22, 1932 to Ernest Sherlock and Amy Elizabeth (McFadden) Hickok in Cranford, New Jersey.  She grew up in Summit, NJ, graduated from Summit High School and then went on to the University of Vermont where she was an active member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and graduated with a degree in Home Economics.   

At the University of Vermont she met and later married Paul R Bousquet with whom she had three children.  After a number of years in Chatham, NJ and Rutland, VT they divorced.   A number of years after that Sally met Harry N. Bockus of New Providence, NJ, a widower with four children of his own.  In 1965 they married, creating a family of seven children, and they ultimately added another of their own.  The large boisterous and active family lived in Westfield in a large turn-of-the century Dutch Colonial house whose walls held many parties and could tell lots of stories. Sally was a member of Echo Lake Country Club and served many years on the Westfield Service League.   They moved to Mountainside in 1989.

Sally apprenticed with her father Ernie, an authority, appraiser and dealer of rare books and sporting art.  She eventually took over the business, the Hickok-Bockus Gallery, and bought and sold sporting art, specializing in the works of Frank W Benson, Roland Clark, Wm Schaldach, and other sporting artists.  She enjoyed dealing with clients and sporting art enthusiasts.  

Sally and Harry enjoyed spending time at their camp on the St Lawrence River and their house in Vermont, both of which served for family gatherings.  She was also quite the adventurer, traveling to Botswana, Ethiopia, Guatemala and Europe to visit with her daughter.  Most of all, Sally was a loving, caring mother to her children and a loyal, gracious friend to all.  She will be dearly missed.

Sally is survived by six children – Susan M Bockus (Michael Brown) of Palo Alto, CA, Paul R (Rick) Bousquet (Holly Powers) of Ann Arbor, MI, Paul N Bockus (Ann) of Bozeman, MT, Christopher T Bousquet (Gloria Pacosa) of Ashfield, MA, Carolyn B Anderson (Richard) of Mendham, NJ and Anne E Bousquet of Guatemala City, Guatemala.  She leaves behind ten grandchildren and four great grandchildren (so far).

Sally was preceded in death by her husband Harry, her parents, her two brothers, a daughter Kristen Bockus Resch and a son William Morgan Bockus.  

Visitation & Service will be on Monday, March 20, 2023 from 11:00am – 1:00pm at:  Higgins and Bonner Echo Lake Funeral Home, 582 Springfield Ave., Westfield, NJ 908-789-7400 www.higginsandbonner.com

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to:       American Diabetes Association

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