Obituaries

Therese ‘Terry’ Pounds (Joiner): 1927-2024

Therese “Terry” Pounds (Joiner), 97, of Montclair, NJ died peacefully surrounded by family at Mountainside Hospital on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. Beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend, Terry was born a ‘survivor,’ having lost her mother who died soon after her birth in 1927 in New York City. She subsequently lived all over the world as a self-described “army brat” after her father, Colonel Talley Dosier Joiner, remarried and reclaimed “his little Therese” from her aunts who raised her until she was six. After graduating from Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ, Terry briefly attended college at Trinity, DC, then decided to go to Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School in NJ. The skills she learned there served her well at her first secretarial jobs in Manhattan, then later at Montclair Kimberly Academy in Montclair where she worked for almost twenty years in the Office of External Affairs. She was proud of her mastery of the rules of English grammar, and many relied on her to proofread their letters. After the death of her husband in 1978, Terry set up a Montclair chapter of THEOS, a nationwide non-denominational support group for widowed men and women. She ran the group for approximately ten years and created friendships from that work that lasted until her death. She was also involved with the Friends of Barnet and the Montclair Fine Arts Festival.

Terry was predeceased in death by her husband, Donald Pounds, her son Richard, her beloved companions, Arthur Jones and Fred Berinato, and her sisters Lucy and Claire. She is survived by her son Donald Pounds and his companion Patrice Holtzer, daughter Mary Pounds Sisler, daughter-in-law Bette Pounds, sons James Pounds (Bethany) and Thomas Pounds (Liljana), daughter Virginia Pounds, sons Michael Pounds (Catherine) and John Pounds. She was the proud grandmother of sixteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren: Katy, Austin, Colleen, Connor, Jordan, Jason, Jeremy, Natalie, Anika, Evan, Noah, Ben, Eli, Max, Harper and Nolan; Scarlett, Emma, Carson, Peyton and Wesley. She is also survived by a large extended family and countless friends.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, November 9 at 10 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 30 N. Fullerton Ave., Montclair, NJ 07042, followed by interment of ashes at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Upper Montclair.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Terry’s name to The Release Recovery Foundation at: https://donate.hakuapp.com/donations/new?fundraising_effort=in-loving-memory-of-therese-terry-pounds.

John Robert Lavery

Passed 08/22/2023

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Obituary For John Robert Lavery

John Robert Lavery, was born December 8, 1931, to Bill and Leila Lavery in River Rouge, Michigan. He met the love of his life in high school, Blanche Thomas, and they were married on June 13,1953. John received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University where he was a member of the varsity swim team.

John and Blanche spent two years in Washington DC while John served in the United States Air Force. Following his discharge from the Air Force they returned to Detroit area to settle into life as a married couple. Together they were blessed with two daughters, Jane, and Alice. John’s rapid career advancement moved the family of 4 to Dayton, OH where John worked in quality control at NCR. He received his MBA from University of Dayton in 1969. His career took him and his family to Canton, OH, St. Louis, MO, Cincinnati, OH and Tampa, FL. Upon his retirement, John and Blanche settled between Toledo and Cincinnati, living close to their daughters and grandchildren.

He was a longtime active member of the Elks Lodge. The most memorable thing about John and Blanche was their ballroom dancing. What started out as a neighborhood dance group became a lifelong hobby for them both. They enjoyed it immensely, dancing several times a week and competing in national competitions. Blanche is one happy gal, as the love of her life has joined her again for a nice fast cha-cha!

John was preceded in death by his wife, Blanche of 55 years; beloved daughter, Alice Lavery; brother, William Lavery; sister, Judy Peterson; and special friend, Jane Tucker. He is survived by his daughter, Jane (Steve) Wurth; grandchildren, Robert (Cindy) Wurth, Stephanie (Blake) Pilgrim, Emily Kramp, and Kelsey (Kyle) Lally; 7 great-grandchildren; nephew, Bill (Luann) Driscoll; and special friend, Poly Tate.

Arrangements for John will be private. Memorial donations may be given to the Maumee Elks Lodge #1850.

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