Plan for the Future
Harry A. Elfers of Whippany died peacefully at home on December 16, 2024. Born on March 26, 1923 in Orange, NJ he was the son of Peter and Helen Elfers and brother to Alice Beirne.
After graduating Irvington High School, Harry served for three years in the Coast Guard during World War II including an 18 month stint on a lightship, The Frying Pan, off the Panama Canal. When he returned home, Harry completed a degree in accounting at Upsala College. He worked as an accountant at H.A. Wilson and Engelhard Industries.
Harry married the love of his life, Isabelle Elfers, in 1952 and they were married for 66 years. He was the devoted father to sons, John and his wife Laurie Suomala and Charles and his wife Dinah; grandfather to Geoffrey Elfers, Travis Elfers and his wife Elizabeth Lovelady, and Stephen Elfers and his wife Kristen, and great-grandfather to their children: Isabelle, Stephen, and Nikitta. He was uncle to Thomas Beirne and his wife Kathy and Carol Gratacos and her husband Bill. He adored his caregiver extraordinaire, Sonya Douglas.
He savored life and treasured each and every friend. He was a faithful member of the First Presbyterian Church of Whippany, a member of Senior Citizens of Hanover Township, and a fan of the Hanover Wind Symphony. Harry was proud to have once been quoted in “Investor’s Business Daily” for an adage that guided his life, “Everyone needs a vocation, a vacation and an avocation.” Harry loved visiting the Whippany Diner. He loved music, dancing, gardening, traveling, ping pong, investing, chess, telling jokes, and word games.
