Obituary of Elaine Vrabel

Elaine Vrabel, of Millstone Twp., N.J. passed away on March 12, 2012 at home. She is survived by her beloved family - John, her husband of 43 years, two sons and daughters-in-law, Michael and Dawne, and Ryan and Kara, and two grandsons, Zachary and Jonathan. Elaine was born to the late Stanley and Stella Abramik, in Fords, N.J., and lived the early part of her life there. She and John Vrabel were married in 1968 and, because John was stationed in California while in the Air Force, they lived in Fairfield, CA, for the first two years of their marriage. During that time, Elaine attended hairdresser school. When John was discharged in 1970, they moved back to New Jersey, she worked at hairdressing for a few years and also began to take art classes at night. In 1974, their son, Michael was born, and then in 1976, their son Ryan was born. A year later, they moved to Matawan, and John started his business, J & J Automotive, there. Elaine did the bookkeeping and also took art classes with Grace Graupe-Pillard at the Monmouth County Park System. Elaine loved gardening, nature and animals and was active in environmental and animal protection groups. Along the way, several rescued dogs and cats became beloved members of the family. In 1992, Elaine started working as a legal secretary for Thomas Pieper, Esq., an attorney in Matawan. One year later, she became a legal secretary at the State of New Jersey, in Trenton, and moving to Millstone Township in 1995 made for an easier commute. During this time, Elaine continued creating, showing, and selling her art. Some of her clients included Johnson and Johnson, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AT&T and McGraw-Hill. Elaine was grateful to have a happy life filled with family, friends, and enjoyable activities. Relatives and friends may call at the Higgins Memorial Home, 20 Center Street, Freehold on Saturday, March 17, 2012 from 11:00 to1:00 P.M. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Because of Elaine’s love for animals, donations in her memory to the Animal Protection League of NJ, www.aplnj.org (732) 446-6808 or the Monmouth County SPCA www.monmouthcountyspca.org would be appreciated.