April 4 1934 November 25 2022
Obituary Alice M. Lissemore (née Mansfield), 88, of Scotch Plains, NJ, passed away peacefully on Friday, November 25, 2022 in the presence of loving family members. Beloved wife of the late James H. Lissemore and predeceased by her brother Charles F. Mansfield. She is survived by her six devoted children: James (Frances) of Cleveland Heights, OH, Lorraine Matthews (Michael) of Cary, NC, Lois Melka (David) of Summit, NJ, Richard (Eliran Avni) of Lily Dale, NY, Nancy Lissemore (Daniel TumSuden) of Bradley Beach, NJ, and Pamela Cipparulo (Peter) of Hillsborough, NJ. She is also survived by fourteen cherished grandchildren: Timothy Matthews, Emma Lissemore, Alison Matthews, Christopher Melka, Kevin Lissemore, Victoria Cipparulo, Olivia TumSuden, Andrew Melka, Sophia TumSuden, William Matthews, Julia Cipparulo, Daniel Melka, Marie Grace Cipparulo, and Peter Cipparulo. Alice found much joy in her role as Gigi/Grandma to her grandchildren no matter how near or far they lived from her, and she took great pleasure in their company and celebrating their accomplishments. Born in Brooklyn, NY to Charles F. and Alice (née Kirkwood) Mansfield, she was raised there while surrounded by a large extended family and attended St. Agnes Seminary. A proud graduate of Fordham University, Alice earned a B.S. in French Language and Literature and an M.S. in Education. Before marrying and embracing her longtime role as a mother and grandmother, she taught Latin in New York City public schools. Not one to waste her professional training, Alice was deeply involved in the education of her own children, shepherding all six through elementary school, high school, college, and beyond. She was always ready with a helping hand for countless homework assignments, and especially enjoyed editing papers and correcting French homework. She was unrivaled as a hostess of children’s birthday parties, large extended family parties for important birthdays and anniversaries, and epic multigenerational New Year’s Eve bashes with her college-aged children and their friends. Those parties, now the stuff of family legend, were an intentional strategy for keeping her kids at home and out of trouble on New Year’s Eve. An accomplished amateur pianist who adored her baby grand, Alice regularly directed boisterous, joyous sing-alongs at family gatherings into the wee hours of the morning. A music lover since childhood, Alice took delight in listening to classical music, American songbook standards, and Broadway show tunes (as evidenced by her impressive collection of Playbills). A post-college tour of Europe ignited the travel bug, and, while there was little opportunity to travel during their child-rearing years, the empty nest years allowed Alice and Jim to enjoy many memorable adventures throughout the US, Europe, and the Caribbean. A great lover of reading, especially biographies and memoirs of the stars of Hollywood and Broadway, Alice’s love of words was also evident in her dedication to the New York Times crosswords puzzles (in ink) and, more recently, Wordle. A devoted and devout Catholic, Alice was a parishioner at Church of the Assumption in Emerson, NJ for more than thirty years and later at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Scotch Plains, NJ. There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 A.M. on Monday November 28 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 1571 Martine Avenue, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076. Because of recent COVID exposure among family members and for the safety of all, there will be a private viewing for family only prior to Mass. Those attending Mass are encouraged to wear masks. Interment will follow at 1:00 pm at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, NY. In lieu of flowers and given Alice’s love of her children and grandchildren, the family requests donations to St. Jude Children’s Hospital (www.stjude.org/). Please specify that your donation is made in memory of Alice M. Lissemore. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Alice, please visit our floral store. Read more
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Alice Lissemore April 4 1934 November 25 2022.
Death notice for the town of: Linden, state: New Jersey