Plan for the Future
On June 2, 2024, Sueann Elisabeth Desher (nee: Karpinski) passed away peacefully at home. She lived a full life dedicated to her family, including her son, Sean McTernan (Sarah), daughter, Stacey Hofmann (Kevin), and her youngest son, Jason (Julie) and her eight grandchildren.
Sueann was rooted in the area, being born and raised in Summit. She lived in Chatham, Gillette, Berkeley Heights, and then spent the last 40 years living in New Providence. She enjoyed the tight-knit community of the area and enjoyed visiting with her neighbors.
She always loved planting a large vegetable garden, something she learned from her childhood. Even when her children had moved on she continued planting her garden because it gave her pleasure to share the bounty with all her neighbors. If you visited in the summer, you were for sure going home with tomatoes and zucchini.
Sue cherished Thanksgiving when the whole family could get together, but in between she loved getting to see her grandchildren whether they stopped by to visit or she hopped in her car and drove to see them. Over the years, she attended a multitude of birthdays, sporting events, concerts, and graduations for Connor, Caitlynn, Cole, Kyle, Collin, Julianne, Nevaeh, and Jayden.
As a graduate of Overlook Hospital’s School of Practical Nursing, Sueann spent 52 years as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Early in her career, she worked at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital. She went on to work at King James Nursing Home in Chatham before deciding to focus on home health care. She was dedicated to her patients and found a lot of opportunities for growth in home health and over the years worked in oncology, hospice, and finally specialized in pediatrics.
Sueann is survived by all three of her children, and her brother John A. Karpinski. She was predeceased by her husband Joseph Desher, her sister, Joan (Karpinski) Bohrman, her brother, U.S. Army Lt. Col. George F. Karpinski, and her grandsons Connor and Riley McTernan.
