Winifred Helen Charles

She was born on December 19, 1941 in Manhattan, NY. She was the daughter of Cornelius and Elizabeth (Morgan) Curtin. Her parents were from Ireland; her father from County Cork and mother from County Clare. She was the sixth of seven children. Winnie was a beloved wife, sister, aunt and friend.

Winnie was raised in Queens (Astoria), NY. She graduated from Our Lady of Mount Carmel and later took classes at La Guardia Community College (Business Administration) and County College of Morris (Nursing). She was also a licensed realtor.

She married the love of her life, John P. Charles in 1972 at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Astoria and resided in NY until they moved to Sparta, NJ in 1979. Winnie joined Our Lady of the Lake parish in Sparta; she was devoted to her faith and parish. She was a member of the Legion of Mary, Women’s Cornerstone Group and led the rosary in daily mass. Winnie developed life-long and cherished friendships at Our Lady of the Lake.

Winnie retired from Nokia (formerly Alcatel Lucent) in 2007 after 18 years of service and received numerous awards for her project management skills. She also worked for Merrill Lynch, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, and Columbia Artists Management.

A gifted artist, her paintings, sketches and cross-stitch are a sight to see. She was also an avid writer and composed many beautiful poems over the years. Winnie enjoyed traveling, reading and spending time with her family and friends.

She is pre-deceased by her husband John Charles, father Cornelius Curtin, mother Elizabeth Curtin, sisters Anne Raible, Catherine Vanden Heuvel and husband Jack, Elizabeth Orzo and husband Pat, brother Cornelius Curtin and brother-in-law Mike Egan. She is survived by her sister Mary Egan of Stanhope, NJ, brother David Curtin and sister-in-law Alice of Long Island, NY, brother-in-law Charlie Raible of Clifton, NJ, cousins and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held from 11:45AM - 12:30PM on Saturday, September 13th at Our Lady of the Lake Roman Catholic Church 294 S. Sparta Ave, Sparta, NJ 07871 with Mass of the Resurrection following promptly at 12:30PM. Interment will be immediately following at Sparta Presbyterian Methodist Cemetery 32 Main St., Sparta, NJ 07871

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society, St. Jude Children’s Hospital or the ASPCA in Winnie’s memory.