Anne Perdue von Hoffmann, a lifelong resident of Montclair, passed away on November 6, 2024. She was born on June 21, 1928, to Charles and Mildred Perdue.
She attended Montclair Public Schools and Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia where she double majored in Chemistry and French. She graduated in June 1950 and married Robert F. von Hoffmann one week later. She recalled seeing her future husband, Bob, at St. James Episcopal Church when they were children. They reconnected at the end of WWII, when she noticed him jump off the train in his Navy uniform at the Upper Montclair train station.
Anne developed a love for horses early in life, probably inspired by reading books like “Black Beauty.” She spent some summers at a riding camp in New Hampshire with her sister, Jeanne. In later years, she worked with children at a horse farm in Vermont near her second home, which Anne and Bob built in Bondville, Vermont, in 1984.
Throughout her life, Anne cherished her friendships. An identical twin, she and her sister Jeanne, were popular in Montclair High School. Those friendships continued to thrive throughout her life, including groups like the “Lunch Bunch” at Montclair High School and the “Crunch Bunch” at the Stratton Mountain Golf Club in Vermont. In her later years, Anne joined a small group of friends to discuss investments, a venture she approached seriously and successfully. Additionally, she took up bowling with another group of women—a remarkable feat considering her macular degeneration. She often delightedly exclaimed, “I can't believe it! I won! And I'm going blind!”
Gregarious by nature, she and Bob loved to host dinner parties for their friends with elegant desserts like crème de menthe parfaits and petit fours that her children always tried to sneak from the dessert tray. She was a member of the Junior League of Montclair and Boston, the Montclair Golf Club, and the Garden Club of Montclair. She loved gardening and created vivid borders overflowing with yellow roses, orange daylilies, and purple clematis. Her indoor plants also flourished; her spider plants and Christmas cacti multiplied and are now spread throughout New Jersey in her children’s and grandchildren's homes.
An enthusiastic fan of her children’s and grandchildren’s sports games and drama performances, Anne drove her sons to their many practices and hockey camps, attending as many games as possible. In her home, she was tolerant of rainy-day indoor sports and the occasional broken window (even an antique set of cordial glasses–ouch!).
When the last of her children entered high school, Anne began working in the accounting office at Montclair State University, where she again made good friends and also pursued a masters degree in accounting. During this time, she enjoyed travelling abroad—with Bob to Germany, with friends, and with her daughters and a granddaughter to England, France, and Italy.
In her final years at Crane’s Mill, she retained her infectious sense of humor, chuckling or chortling at family stories and bringing laughter to those around her. She was gracious and kind to her caregivers, often addressing them as “Darling,” and recognized each of her five children when they visited right up until the last week of her life.
Anne was predeceased by her husband Bob (1994), her older brother Robert F. Perdue, and her sister Jeanne Perdue Jones. She is survived by her five children and their spouses: Deborah (m. to Dale Lanzone), Susan (m. to Steven Tompson), Chris, Peter (m. to Anne), and Eric (m. to Diana), and 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Her family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the Cranes Mill staff and caregivers.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 6 at 4:00 pm at St. James Episcopal Church at 581 Valley Road, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043.
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