Elsie K. Cole

Elsie was born in Newton and spent most of her life in Stillwater before settling in Branchville in 2013. She was a graduate of Sparta High School. Elsie was a longtime dedicated employee of Fredon Development where she worked as a Technician for more than 20 years.

A woman of great strength, compassion and loyalty, Elsie was far more than an average woman, especially to those who knew her best. She found joy in the simplicities of life and loved gardening and listening to her weekly concerts. Elsie was a true matriarch, the glue that held her family together. She constantly put others before herself and her greatest love in life was being a mother and grandmother.

Elsie was predeceased by her husband, Gary Cole Sr.; her parents, Lawrence C. and Eleanor Jackim; her brother, Lawrence C. Jackim Jr.; and her granddaughter, Grace Cole. She is survived by her daughter, Kimberly Petriello and her husband, John Sr., of Stewartsville, NJ; her son, Lawrence Cole and his wife, Crystal Moreno Cole, of Miami, FL; her son, Gary Cole Jr. of Sandyston, NJ; her grandchildren, Alyna Petriello, Aryabella Petriello, John Petriello Jr., LJ Cole and Jason Cole; and her extended family the Parker’s of Stanhope, NJ.

Services are private under the direction of Smith-McCracken Funeral Home, 63 High St, Newton, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Elsie’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl, Memphis, TN 38105. Online condolences may be offered at www.smithmccrackenfuneralhome.com.