Obituary of Evelyn Eckardt

Evelyn Eckardt

Evelyn Eckardt has finished a life of being constantly active and involved.  She entered into her eternal rest on March 24, 2023, at the age of 98.

Evelyn was born on February 24, 1925, in Boonton, NJ, and lived there all of her life.  She married Arthur in 1943, and they lived in the house he built for 57 years until he passed away in 2008.

Her first years were spent as a mother of five, making a hot breakfast before school, sewing Halloween costumes, leading a Brownie troop, teaching Girl Scouts how to earn their sewing badge, and planning trips to the National Parks in the family travel trailer.  She was always busy and ever productive. She sewed all of her life, and made a quilt from scraps of all the garments that she had made through the years.  Every inch of the quilt was sewn by hand.  She also enjoyed knitting and needlework.  She baked on a regular basis, kept a daily journal, and solved the puzzles in the newspaper, Sudoku was her favorite.

When her children were grown and married and relocated to other states, she filled her time with volunteer jobs.  She cleaned the church and sang in the choir.  She worked at the front desk in St Clare’s Hospital in Denville directing visitors and delivering mail to patients’ rooms for 25 years. Then she moved across the street to the Bargain Barn and volunteered for another ten years.

Evelyn volunteered in Boonton as well. She was the coordinator of the women’s activities for the Boonton Centennial celebration in 1967.  She worked as a poll worker every Election Day.  She served on the Historic Preservation Commission for eight years.

Forty years of her life were devoted to the Boonton Historical Society and Museum. She served as president at a time when the building was condemned by the town and closed to the public.  She worked tirelessly on the building itself as it was saved from being sold and renovated into use as a museum.  She spent hours scraping floors and priming walls.  She designed and created the exhibit that tells the history of Boonton.  When she retired after ten years of being president, she was awarded an oil painting that depicted the Dutch boy with his finger in the dyke saving the town to acknowledge how she had saved the Historical Society and museum.  She continued to spend many hours accessioning items donated to the museum through 2018.

Evelyn was recognized for her “time and energy without personal gain”, by being named, ”Citizen of the Year” by the YMCA in 2001.  She was awarded the “Living Treasure” award in 2014 for “being an older person whose service and commitment to others has made them a living treasure in the community.”  She also received a proclamation from the Town of Boonton at the same time.

Evelyn enjoyed leisure activities too. She and her husband played golf at Mount Tabor Country Club, traveled to Europe, Panama, Puerto Rico, and went to Florida every year for the month of February.

Evelyn is survived by her five children, Arthur (Sharon), David, Monica (Anthony Scozzafava), Christine (Saul Rigberg), Kevin (Jocelyn) and nine grandchildren, Aaron, Austin, Alissa, Ian, Soojee (Robert DuFresne), Jenna (Eric Yoshizuka), Garrett, Miles, Brendan, and one great grandchild, Andreas DuFresne.

Memorial Visitation will be held on Friday, March 31, 2023 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at Dangler Lewis & Carey Funeral Home, 312 West Main Street in Boonton.

A Funeral Mass will be offered on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, 910 Birch Street in Boonton. Interment will follow at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Cemetery in Boonton.