Joan Helen Elorette (nee Riley)
Joan was born into a close knit family in Orange, New Jersey in 1934. She was the cherished daughter of George and Helen Riley, Granddaughter of Michael and Hannah Corby and Michael and Catherine Riley. She was the much loved sister of William Riley and Catherine Riley Madlinger.
Joan grew up in and around the Orange, New Jersey area, attending local schools and graduating High School from the East Orange High School in 1951. While in high school she worked part time for the telephone company. She graduated from the Berkeley Business College in 1952 and found a job she loved, working at General Electric in Bloomfield. She would tell a story about how she spent her first paycheck on new shoes and a matching handbag.
As in many love stories, while still in high school, she met the boy next door, Gregory Elorette in 1950, fell in love and married him in 1954. They lived in Havre De Grace, Maryland upon their marriage and eventually settled in East Orange New Jersey. Two loving children followed, Marguerite Helen and Gregory George.
While a homemaker, Joan undertook a new challenge and attended school in New York City, studying to be an electrologist. She became certified and remained a practicing electrologist until her retirement in 1998.
She was a loving and involved Grandmother, helping to take care of her wonderful grandchildren Clayton, Noelle, Christopher and Jonathan Toye and Catherine and Gregory Elorette. Known for her crafting skills, story telling and game playing she made her grandchildren very happy over the many hours she spent taking care of them.
Joan had a quick wit, was extremely artistic and a wonderful writer. She loved to repair and restore intricate antique picture frames, was a skilled poet and never met a “collectable” that she didn’t love. She was a life long learner and loved to follow along as her children and grandchildren progressed through school. She could always be counted on to proofread and edit a paper, create an amazing costume and offer her unconditional support and guidance.
She was independent, a passionate follower of current events and could carry a conversation with everyone she met. In recent years, she especially enjoyed her time with the Hanover Township Seniors group attending their monthly meetings with her friend Marge and shopping with her friends on the senior bus.
Joan passed away after a very short illness and is survived by her loving children, Marguerite and Clayton Toye, and Gregory and Debra Elorette. Her grandchildren, Clayton, Noelle, Christopher and Jonathan Toye and Catherine and Gregory Alden Elorette. Also survived by her brother, William Riley and sister, Catherine Madlinger, brother-in law, Gary Madlinger and her nieces and nephews, Catherine Anne, Michael, Daniel, Colleen and Adam. Predeceased by her husband, Gregory E. Elorette.
She leaves an empty place in our hearts, that with time, will eventually refill with all the love and care that we will forever remember her for.
Visiting hours will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2023 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am at the Bradley Braviak Funeral Home, 49 Whippany Rd. Whippany, NJ, followed by a Graveside Service at 12 pm at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover, NJ. To send the family a condolence, please visit, www.bradleyfuneralhomes.com.