Mrs. Anita De Old passed away on August 4, 2023, at Mountainside Hospital in Glen Ridge at the age of 83.
Anita is survived by Alan, her husband of 62 years, her daughters Teri, Dawn, and Kris, her cherished grandchildren Jenny, David, Jeremy, and Kevin, and her treasured great-grandchildren Amelia and Gabby. Anita was predeceased by her parents Lydia and Edward Korver, and her brother Richard, and is survived by her sister Jean and her brothers Edward and Robert.
Anita was raised in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and attended William Paterson College, majoring in education. She started her family in New Jersey and moved to Calverton, Maryland, as Alan completed his doctorate in education. They moved to Verona in 1972. While Al (“Doc”) taught industrial arts at Verona High School, Anita taught learning-challenged children at F.N. Brown Elementary School for 26 years.
Education was the cornerstone of Anita’s life. She believed it was her mission to find the individual method that helped each child to learn best. She found joy in every student’s successes, large or small. She raised her daughters to value education so they could be self-reliant. All three worked hard in college to have successful careers in engineering and medicine. Anita was immensely proud of their accomplishments.
While teaching, Anita and Al used their summers to broaden their horizons. The family took a camper on many long trips across the U.S. and Canada. In their retirement, Anita and Al continued to travel on tours throughout North America and Europe. For 40 years, they also ran an antiques business, presenting at antique shows multiple times a year; they specialized in antique glassware, and she had one of the finest collections of antique hatpins in the world. In recent years Anita has enjoyed knitting for charity; many of her works went to South Dakota to help Native American children. Her helpfulness, kindness, and cheerfulness will be remembered by all who knew her.
A celebration of Anita’s life will be held at Prout Funeral Home, 370 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona on August 20, 2023, from 1 to 3 p.m., with Words of Remembrance at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Verona Foundation for Educational Excellence. Condolences and sharing of memories may be found at proutfuneralhome.com.
