Anne P. Russell
Active in the Elizabeth community
Anne P. Russell (nee Gleason), beloved wife of Judge Daniel Russell of Elizabeth, N.J., passed away Monday, Jan. 27, 2020 at Morristown Medical Center.
Relatives and friends are invited to gather on Thursday, Jan. 30, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Higgins and Bonner Echo Lake Funeral Home, 582 Springfield Ave., Westfield, N.J. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m. at St. Genevieve Catholic Church, Monmouth Road, Elizabeth. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.
Anne was born in Elizabeth, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Frances (O'Leary) Gleason, and was a graduate of Benedictine Academy in Elizabeth and Mt. St. Scholastica College in Kansas City, Kan. After graduation, she taught at Benedictine before her marriage in 1958.
She was a devoted mother to her children and active in the Elizabeth School #21 PTA and the Pingry Mothers Club. She was also an active parishioner of St. Genevieve Church, where she served as lector, Eucharistic minister and member of the parish council. Anne also volunteered with the Meals on Wheels program and the St. Elizabeth Hospital Maternity Guild. A talented tennis player, she was club champion at the Elmora Racquet Club several times.
After her children finished school, Anne returned to work as office manager for the Abel Dermatology Group. Additional activities included the Elizabeth Garden Club and mahjong, which she played devotedly until the end of her life. She was a patroness of the Benedicks of Elizabeth and a trustee of the Elizabeth Public Library.
After retirement, Anne enjoyed travelling with her husband, visiting her children, and taking overseas trips organized by the Newark Museum. She also loved the beach, a passion that began during her teenage years when she spent summers living and working in Avon-by-the-Sea, N.J. Every summer Anne and her husband rented in Avon, where the extended family gathered to enjoy her company.
Besides her devoted husband of 61 years, Anne is survived by her children, Daniel and his wife, Maya, of Leiden, The Netherlands; John of Cranford, N.J.; Killeen Brettmann of Aspen, Colo., and James and his wife, Natalie, of Cranford; cherished grandchildren, Katherine, Chloe, James (JT), and Eryn; sister, Mary A. Finan of Ft. Myers, Fla.; nephews, Tom, Tim and Greg Gleason, and niece Cheryl Gleason. She was predeceased by her twin brother, Thomas A. Gleason, son, Patrick, and son-in-law, Cory Brettmann.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Atlantic Hospice, 465 South Street, Suite 100B, Morristown, N.J. 07960. Special thanks to the hospice staff at Morristown Medical Center who attended to Anne during her final days with us.