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. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Anne von Hoffmann, please visit Tribute Store .

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the Crane House was brimming with busy designers, working tirelessly to adorn the rooms in period-appropriate holiday decorations.  Thank you to all the leads, co-leads, and team members who put heart and soul into this wonderful project.   Be sure to show off our handiwork to friends and family on a tour of the house!  Below is the Crane House December schedule of tours.   Essex County Holiday Tours Opening Weekend Saturday & Sunday December 7 & 8, 12 to 3 pm   Winter Wonderland Open House Holiday Tours Sundays, December 15 & 22, 12 to 3 pm   Holiday Candlelight Tours This special event, led by Angelica Diggs, Executive Director of the Montclair History Center, is a popular evening, so register early!  Friday the 13th, 6 to 7:30pm. It requires advanced registration and has a fee . They have created a special coupon code for garden club members to get a $5 discount off each ticket. Code is 'GARDENCLUB2024'.

Hard work at Crane House on Dec. 3! Under the watchful eye of Workshops chair Karen Fricke, members began creating garlands and wreaths, ready for the next day's annual Club tradition of decorating Crane House. This year promises to be the best yet!

In Memoriam Click on each name for more about the Members we have lost. See the relevant Yearbooks for earlier names. 2024-2025 Anne Perdue von Hoffmann Terri Breen Kate Khachaturian Marilyn Yeutter 2023-2024 Connie DuHamel Pat Green Fritzi Mills Susie Price

< Back Best smart wearables of 2023 Sean Michaels Mar 22, 2023 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own content or import it from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, and videos. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Previous Next

< Back How technology can help curb attention disorders Sarah Jones Mar 19, 2023 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own content or import it from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, and videos. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Previous Next