6 Centenarians In West Caldwell Celebrate Women’s History Month

WEST CALDWELL, NJ — The Crane’s Mill senior living facility in West Caldwell has seen a lot of accomplished people call it home throughout the years: authors, artists, activists, politicians, educators, doctors, lawyers, CEOs. And there’s no shortage of amazing residents to spotlight in honor of Women’s History Month, administrators say.

In tribute to the holiday, which falls in March, Crane’s Mill recently gave a warm huzzah to six of its residents, each of whom is more than 100-years-old.

• See related article: 98% Of Residents At West Caldwell Senior Home Get COVID Vaccine
• See related article: Surprise 'Zoom Birthday Party' For Woman, 101, In West Caldwell

Administrators provided the following details about each centenarian.

Patricia Gleason, 100 - Celebrating her 100th birthday. Pat moved to Crane’s Mill from Verona. She and her husband, a Schering-Plough director and vice president (deceased), and their six children, lived in places that included Canada and Mexico. In more recent years, Pat served on the board of the Garden Club of Montclair and as a docent at the Montclair Art Museum. Her interests are travel, art, music, reading and her family.

Doris Hentschel, 100 - Doris moved to Crane’s Mill after residing in Dumont. Her previous job was as chief cook and bottle washer in a small office, where she worked for 46 years. She is a member of the Lutheran Church of our Redeemer in Dumont. She volunteered for the Lutheran Braille Workers assembling books and is involved in many church organizations. Her hobbies include reading, music and traveling.

Mickey Konweiser, 100 - Mickey moved to Crane’s Mill from Roseland in 2019. She grew up in Newark and lived in South Orange, where she worked at Satsk’s Jewelers. She has one daughter, two grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Mickey is an avid advanced bridge player and was active at the Deborah Hospital and the National Council of Jewish Women. She and her husband, who was an electrical contractor, enjoyed traveling in Europe.

Margaret (Peg) Pomorski, 101 - Peg moved to Crane’s Mill after living in Clifton for 62 years. She is a mother of two daughters and has three grandchildren. After graduating from business school, she worked as a secretary at General Electric Company. Peg is a member of St. Philip’s Catholic Church in Clifton as well as the New Jersey Power Boating Squadron and the Arnold Palmer Golf Association. She enjoys boating, golf, tennis, sewing, crafts and gardening.

Sylvia Schuster, 106 - Sylvia lived in Florida before moving to Crane’s Mill. She has one daughter and three grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. Sylvia graduated from a community college and held the position of School Secretary. She enjoys reading books and watching the nightly news on TV.

Constance (Connie) Young, 100 - Connie and her husband Roger were among the first five residents to live at Crane’s Mill in 1998. They have four children and are grandparents of 12. She earned a BA degree in economics at the College of St. Elizabeth. She had come east to volunteer for service in the WAVES during WWII. She moved to Verona after living for 25 years in Montclair, where she held membership in many service organizations. She was president of the Verona Garden Club, the Montclair Garden Club, College Women’s Club, and the Three O’clock Club. Connie worked for 12 years at the Montclair Art Museum and served on the state boards of AAUW and the National Garden Club. Her favorite activities are gardening, competitive flower design, bridge, research projects, reading and needlepoint handwork.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Caldwells Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.