Shirley M. Baldwin, age 86, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 18th, 2021 surrounded by her loving family. She was born August 5th, 1934 in Hackettstown, graduated from Hamburg High School in 1952, and raised her family in Vernon Township.
Shirley was predeceased by her daughter, Lori Baldwin; parents, George and Henrietta (Weber) Neubauer; and sister, Jean Alles. She is survived by her son, Robert Baldwin of Vernon; daughter, Joan Hussey and husband Tom of Jericho, VT; sister Barbara Thomas and husband Joseph of Vernon; and brother James Neubauer, Jr. and wife Linda of Monroe, NC. Shirley was the grandmother of TJ Hussey, Traci Baldwin-Carter, Jamie Commerato, Kristi Raperto, Michael Hussey, and Sheri Caldarella; and great-grandmother to Zandra, Bryce, Bradley, Abigail, Nicholas, Taylor, Olivia, Ella, Mark, Cecilia, and Violet.
Shirley was known for portraying Gretel at the Gingerbread Castle during the 1940’s. She also formerly worked at the Plastoids Company in Hamburg and co-opened the Vernon Dairy Queen in 1966. Later, she worked for the Highlands Workshop as a transporter, as well as Sussex County Transit and the Legends Resort.
She was popular for her homemade baked goods, and she loved animals. Shirley was a life member of the Vernon Township Fire Department Auxiliary and NJ State Auxiliary, former vice president of the Vernon Historical Society, and former vice president of the XYZ Club. Shirley stayed active as a CCD Leader and dedicated parishioner of the St. Francis de Sales RC Church. She was also a member of the Sussex County Senior Advisory Board and created senior exercise programs, worked on the Sussex County election polls, and enjoyed time at the YMCA with her friends. She spent countless hours learning new skills, taking courses at SCCC to better herself in a changing world. She was very dedicated to others. Much of her time was used to raise awareness of the many programs available to seniors in the area for them to lead a healthy and fulfilling life.
Visitation for Shirley will be held on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021 from 3-6PM at the Ferguson—Vernon Funeral Home, 241 Route 94 (One Vanderhoof Court for GPS), Vernon, NJ 07462. A Funeral Mass will be on Wednesday, June 23rd, 10AM at the St. Francis de Sales RC Church in Vernon. Burial in the Glenwood Cemetery will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the St. Francis de Sales Food Pantry, PO Box 785, McAfee, NJ 07428 (stfrancisvernon.org/online-giving) or the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice Foundation, 99 Sparta Avenue, Newton, NJ 07860. Online condolences may be offered at www.fergusonfuneralhomesnj.com