Obituary of Elizabeth Lammers

Elizabeth "Betty" Josephine Lammers, of Manalapan Township an incredibly generous and strong woman who grew old while staying young, died Wednesday surrounded by family. She was 86. Betty grew up in Perth Amboy as Betty Romond, the daughter of Jules and Elizabeth Romond. After graduating high school at the age of 16, Betty worked for 11 years as a comptometer operator for Merck and Co. In 1951 she married Donald Gerard Lammers, with whom she celebrated 47 years of marriage, sharing their love of traveling, dancing, gardening and playing bridge and tennis. Betty and Don lived in Cliffwood Beach and Hazlet before settling in Manalapan to raise a family of six. Betty later returned to the working world in positions with the Manalapan Planning Board and Equifax, but was most proud at this stage of her life of her writing of freelance articles for newspapers and magazines. Other hobbies included cooking, sewing, knitting and crochet. She was a longtime parishioner of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, and once wrote, "I am thankful for my faith in God and feeling His presence in the trials of my life." Projects in her later years included sewing for the St. Rose Baptismal Bibs Ministry, knitting for Project Linus, an organization that donates handmade blankets to children suffering serious illness and trauma across New Jersey, and knowing nearly every answer to Jeopardy questions. She is preceded in death by her husband, Donald; her brother, Jack; her sisters, Lucille and Marge; her infant son, Mark; and her niece, Debbie. She is survived by six children: Claudia Lammers, of East Bend, N.C.; Jennifer Bilquist (husband Scott), of So. Toms River, Cynthia LoPinto (husband Joe), of Tampa, Fla.; Donna Modula (husband Bill), of Jackson, N.J., Leah Lammers-Janosko (husband Steve), of Cary, N.C., and Dirk Lammers, of Sioux Falls, S.D. She's also loved by 10 grandchildren, Claire, Kyle, Leah, Peter (wife Courtney), Madison, Bryan, Melanie, Hannah, Michael and Alex. Visiting will be held at the Higgins Memorial Home, 20 Center Street, Freehold on Sunday from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. The Funeral Liturgy will be celebrated at St. Rose of Lima Church, Freehold on Monday at 10:00 a.m. followed by interment at Old Tennent Cemetery, Tennent. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Catholic Charities, 383 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08607-1161 or Van Dyke Hospice, Community Medical Center Foundation, 99 Highway 37 West, Toms River, NJ 08755.