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.

Sally Oberkfell

7/28/1944 - 8/12/2025

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Obituary For Sally Oberkfell

Sally Oberkfell Obituary

It is with heavy hearts and tearful smiles that we say goodbye to Sally Kay Oberkfell (Jaress), beloved mom, sister, grandma, great grandma and friend who left this earth to be with her Lord and Savior on August 12, 2025, at the age of 81.

Born on July 28, 1944 in Detroit, MI to Bill and Bonnie Jaress. Sally was a woman of unwavering faith and endless love, and her legacy is etched into the hearts of everyone who knew her.

To us, she wasn't just a grandma; she was a force of nature. We'll forever remember the stories of her big trucks. She had a spirit of adventure that was contagious, and that she taught her granddaughters that a woman could do anything she set her mind to. She also had the best-smelling kitchen in the world, and her famous gumdrop cookies were a holiday tradition no one could resist. The secret ingredient, of course, was the love she baked into every single one.

But above all else, Sally will be remembered for the size of her heart, especially when it came to children. She dedicated her life to nurturing and guiding young minds, whether she was teaching in the classroom, volunteering at Epworth United Methodist church, or simply reading to the kids. Her passion was a gift she shared freely, and countless children are better for having known her.

Her family was her world. She leaves behind her dear Sisters Virginia (Richard) Burd of (Homewood, IL); and Marilyn Jaress of Sun City West, AZ; her loving sons Robert (Andrea) Balch of Midland, MI; Bradley (Felicia) Balch of Columbus, OH; Melissa (Mark) Briggs of Luckey, OH; her adoring grandchildren, Robert Briggs (Nicole), Stephanie (Phillip) Frasure of Oregon, OH; Crystal (Megan) Briggs of Rossford, OH; Victoria (Drew) Howson of Midland, MI; Ian Balch of Midland, MI; Melina Balch of Columbus, OH; and Bradshaw Balch of Columbus, OH; and her two great-grandchildren, Everleigh & Dawsyn Howson. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband Harry G. Oberkfell, whom she married in May 1995 till he went to be with the Lord on October 7th, 2001 and her adoring parents Bill (Bonnie) Jaress.

In accordance with Sally's wishes, she has been cremated, and no funeral service will be held at this time. To honor her memory, as a breast cancer survivor, donations can be made to Susan G Komen Foundation. The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to Otterbein Sunset Village for their compassionate care to both Walker Funeral and Toledo Memorial Park for their assistance and to everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

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