Bertha C. Griffin

Bertha Constance Griffin (nee Enright) passed away peacefully surrounded in the love of her family on December 22, 2021. Bertha lived 87 years. She enjoyed a wonderful life with her loving family and friends and she lived with deep faith. Bertha lived each day with joy. She joins her deceased husband, Frank (Michael Francis Griffin) and her son, Michael John Griffin to rest in eternal life in the presence of Our Lord.

She is pre-deceased by her beloved parents Michael Christopher Enright and Mary (nee Ryan) Enright, sister Mary and brother-in-law Jack O’Keefe, sister Joan and brother-in-law Bob O’Callahan, brother James Enright, brother Richard and sister-in-law Barbara Enright, nephew Robert O’Callahan, brother Christopher Enright, and by in-laws, John and Mary (nee Keane) Griffin, brother in-law Jack Griffin and sister-in-law Fina Griffin and by brother-in-law Brother Joseph J. Griffin, S. J. (Jesuit).

Bertha was the third of seven children. She was born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey. Although her father passed away when she was 14 years old, Bertha was blessed by the love and support of her devoted mother, her six brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends. After her father passed away, Bertha left high school and went to work to help her mother to support the family. Later in her 30’s, as a wife and mother, Bertha was proud to have earned her General Equivalent Diploma (GED) and she always emphasized the value of reading and of a good education to her family and friends.

Bertha met Frank, her husband of 51 years, in Jersey City. They were married on February 8, 1958. They continued to live in Jersey City, welcoming their daughters Colleen, Kelly and Mary Frances and then they moved to Roselle, NJ where they welcomed their son Michael. Bertha and Frank worked hard to put their daughters through St. Joseph’s Grammar School and Girls Catholic High School in Roselle. They were happy to see their three daughters each marry their husbands at St. Joseph’s. Their son Michael was born with special needs. Each day, Bertha and Frank did an amazing job raising Michael with all the challenges he faced. They always appreciated the love and support of family, friends and neighbors in Roselle.

For many years, Bertha was very involved in her church community at St. Joseph the Carpenter parish. She participated in the Helping Hands efforts regularly to provide groceries to families in need. She was an active volunteer with the Mount Carmel Guild religious education classes for special needs children, which was held every Saturday at St. Joseph’s. They helped children in the program prepare for their First Holy Communion and their Confirmation and to regularly attend Mass, and the parents developed a devoted network of friendship and support for each other. In 2003, Bertha was recognized for her efforts and support for that Mount Carmel Guild religious education program with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Bertha also volunteered for years in other capacities, such as assisting at the workshop for special needs adults in Roselle, NJ when her son Michael was attending that program. She also advocated for the first Group Homes to serve special needs adults in the local area.

In 2003, she and Frank moved with their son Michael to Toms River, NJ. Bertha became an active member of the St. Maximillian Kolbe parish and she enjoyed her time with friends, many of whom were originally from Jersey City and Roselle. As Bertha and Frank grew older, Michael subsequently moved to the New Lisbon Developmental Center and their staff cared for Michael with great skill, handling the many challenges of his special needs with grace and compassion. They were a blessing to Bertha and Frank with Michael’s placement at New Lisbon, for which the family will forever be grateful.

Everyone that knew Bertha knows that she loved to dance. She was always out on the dance floor at weddings and parties celebrating. She loved to dance in the pubs in Ireland while visiting her family. She enjoyed Irish dancing with the members of the Hibernians and other Irish heritage groups. She always loved to laugh with good stories and fun times with family and friends. In her quiet time, she enjoyed crocheting, knitting, sewing and making crafts to celebrate the holidays. She also loved to travel. She enjoyed many trips to Wildwood, NJ and she enjoyed traveling to other locations in the United States with her family. She cherished her trips to Ireland to see her family in County Clare. She always knew how to have fun with everyone and she was often the life of the party.

Above all else, Bertha loved being a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was very proud of her three daughters and their husbands and of her son. She loved her grandchildren very much and was very proud of them. She loved, cherished and prayed for all of her great-grandchildren.

Bertha will truly be missed by everyone who knew her and loved her. She was a wonderful example of compassion, patience, and fierce determination. She also showed us how to live life with purpose and with great joy. Back in November, Bertha was reminiscing about her life and she said that she enjoyed it so much that she wanted to be able to do it all a second time, to have the chance to see everyone she loved and to get to experience it all over again, and that she would not change a thing.

She is survived by her loving family, daughter Colleen and son-in-law Joseph (Joe) Buteau, daughter Kelly and son-in-law Robert (Bob) Gambardella, daughter Mary Frances and son-in-law John (Jack) Clarke, by her grandchildren Jeffery and Regina Buteau, Andrea and Corey Cramer, Kevin Buteau, Eric and Emily Buteau, Andrew Gambardella, Brian and Angela Gambardella, Caitlin and Michael McKenzie, Maryellen and James Magness and by her beloved great-grandchildren. Bertha is also survived by her beloved brother Cornelius Enright and sister-in-law Joyce, brother in-law Dennis Rivera, sister-in-law Dorothy Enright and by her goddaughter Kathleen McCarthy along with many loved cousins, nieces and nephews, by her dear friends Ellen Lynch and Kelly (Lynch) Strazdas and by her angel Elene Mannix.

The family would like to thank Dr. Manjula Thopcherla, MD in Lakewood, NJ and her wonderful staff for taking such great care of Bertha for many years. We would also like to thank the staff at Shorrock Gardens Care Center in Brick for the excellent rehabilitation care they provided Bertha over the years.

We invite family and friends to celebrate Bertha’s life at a Memorial Mass at the Church of St. Joseph the Carpenter, Roselle, New Jersey on Saturday, April 30, 2022 beginning at 10:50 am, with a repast to follow. Internment at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, NJ will be held at a later date for immediate family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Marist Brothers Center at Esopus, PO Box 197, Esopus, NY 12429. Please include in the memo “MHV Camps & in memory of Bertha Griffin.” Donations will support the Mid-Hudson Valley Camp for special needs children and adults, which is the camp Bertha’s son Michael attended for many years each summer.