Matty Auer, age 49, of Hackettstown died Saturday, July 3, 2021.
Matty was born September 24, 1971 in New York City, NY. She is the daughter of Alberto and Matilde (Cerboni) Marichal.
The funeral will be held 11:00 am on Friday, July 9 at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic Church with Rev. Marchin Michalowski officiating.
Burial will be in Hackettstown Union Cemetery, Hackettstown following the mass.
Visitation will be Thursday, July 8 from 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Cochran Funeral Home, 905 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Matty Auer, age 49, of Hackettstown died Saturday, July 3, 2021. Matty was born September 24, 1971 in New York City, NY. She is the daughter of Alberto and Matilde (Cerboni) Marichal.
She was employed by UPS, Budd Lake, NJ as a Driver. Matty loved music and enjoyed singing, was a very outspoken person, who was always the life of the party.
In addition to her parents, Matty is survived by her loving daughter, Emily Auer, her two cherished sons, Christopher and Michael Auer, her two brothers, Albert Marichal and wife Lorena, Gerard Marichal and wife Morgan, a sister, Emma Marichal, her loving companion, Janti Wazirmas and her nieces and nephews, Kenneth, Benjamin, Isabella, Fletcher, Harrison and Campbell.
The funeral will be held 11:00 am on Friday, July 9 at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic Church with Rev. Marchin Michalowski officiating. Burial will be in Hackettstown Union Cemetery, Hackettstown following the mass.
Visitation will be Thursday, July 8 from 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Cochran Funeral Home, 905 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Father John's Animal Rescue, 58 Father John Lane Lafayette, NJ 07848 or to Tri County Fire Company, 1720 NJ-57, Hackettstown, NJ 07840 in memory of Matty.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hackettstown Mother, UPS Driver Killed On Job By Fallen Tree
Matty Auer, 49, is being remembered in the community and by colleagues after a tree hit her delivery truck while working this past Saturday.
HACKETTSTOWN, NJ — Hackettstown resident Matty Auer is being remembered by friends, colleagues and the communities where she served as a UPS driver for her smile, friendliness and for being "the life of the party."
The beloved mother of three was tragically killed while making deliveries this past Saturday in Vernon, when a tree uprooted and hit her delivery truck as she was driving by it.
Auer, 49, who will be laid to rest on Friday, became trapped in her truck after the tree fell, with the Vernon Township Police Department, multiple fire departments and rescue squads and a tree service working to free her.
Initially reported as a "motor vehicle crash," police shut down Sleepy Hollow Road temporarily after the call came in at about 12:20 p.m. on July 3.
When crews were able to get Auer out of her truck, she was medevaced to Morristown Medical Center where Vernon Police say she later died from her injuries.
According to her obituary, Auer was also the mother of Emily, Christopher and Michael Auer.
Auer, who was based in Budd Lake's UPS facility, was a familiar face in the Vernon neighborhood, about 30 miles and an hour's ride from the center where she worked, with one resident in Vernon remembering her on one of the police department's Facebook posts about the incident, for her "beautiful smile on her face," as Auer made deliveries in their neighborhood.
Members from the center where Auer worked also posted online tributes to her.
The Facebook Page, "UPS Dogs," celebrating the bond that can be formed between UPS drivers and some dogs they meet along their routes, also posted about Auer.
"Yesterday, we tragically lost one of our sisters in brown," the tribute read. "My coworker and friend Matty Auer died while on route when a tree fell onto her truck."
"She was so proud to be a UPS driver and will be missed beyond measure," they also wrote, along with posting a photo of a smiling Auer in her uniform.
A GoFundMe fundraiser set up by a family friend on Sunday for medical and funeral expenses has raised close to $28,000 as of Tuesday.
Auer's obituary asks that donations be made in her memory to Father John's Animal House in Lafayette and Hackettstown's Tri-County Volunteer Fire Company.
A visitation for Auer has been scheduled on Thursday from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at Cochran Funeral Home on 905 High Street in Hackettstown. A funeral mass is planned for Friday at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic Church at 2 East Springtown Road in Long Valley, with the burial to follow at Hackettstown Union Cemetery.
By Jennifer Jean Miller, Patch Staff
Jul 6, 2021 1:01 pm EDT
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A UPS driver was killed in Vernon after a tree fell onto the roadway and crushed her truck while she was driving Saturday afternoon, Vernon police said.
Matty Auer, 49, of Hackettstown, was traveling on Sleepy Hollow Road shortly before 12:30 p.m. when the large tree uprooted and pinned her inside the truck, according to police chief Daniel Young.
First responders worked to free Auer from the truck as nearby tree crews and a contractor worked to remove the tree, Young said. Auer was removed from the truck and flown to Morristown Medical Center where she died of her injuries.
Police did not say why they believe the tree toppled.
Residents on Facebook remembered Auer as a "regular" in the community who always arrived with a "smiling face." Auer was a mother of three children, according to a GoFundMe campaign created by a friend to help defray costs of the funeral and medical expenses.
LORI COMSTOCK | NEW JERSEY HERALD
July 4, 2021
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
VERNON TOWNSHIP, NJ (Sussex County) – A UPS driver died after a tree fell on her delivery truck in Vernon Township Saturday afternoon, according to police.
The crash happened on July 3, at 12:20 p.m. on Sleepy Hollow Road, police said.
The investigation on scene revealed that a large tree had uprooted and fallen onto the roadway striking a passing UPS delivery truck. The driver, a 49-year-old Hackettstown woman, was trapped in the driver compartment of the vehicle, police said.
Rescue crews worked to free her, along with the assistance of a local tree service company and contractor who were nearby, police said.
She was extricated from the UPS truck and then airlifted to Morristown Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries, police said.
The Vernon Township Police Department, Pochuck Fire Department, McAfee Fire Department, Vernon Township Fire Department, Highland Lakes Fire Department, Vernon Township Ambulance Squad, Glenwood Pochuck Ambulance Squad, and St. Claire's Paramedics assisted at the scene.
WRNJ Radio, Hackettstown, New Jersey, July 4, 2021.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When You Stop Asking Why
By Tonya Thompson
All these emotions, change by the moment. Stuck in time, inside my mind. Shifting tides changed my life. Tore me apart, and broke my heart.
But when you stop asking why, then you can start to say goodbye. The pain will only hold you there, and never get you anywhere. And so I must go on with life. That I cannot sacrifice.
And I will hold you in my heart, as I make this brand-new start.
Precious memories, can I take them with me?
Oh, they hurt, oh so deeply. But they were true, and they were mine. And I can't erase time.
Can't change the past to ease the pain, and so they must always remain.
And when you stop asking why, then you can start to say goodbye. The pain will only hold you there, and never get you anywhere. And so I must go on with life. That I cannot sacrifice.
And I will hold you in my heart, as I make this brand-new start.
Curtains open, I step forward. Take a breath, to see what's left. Arms wide open, no more trembling. Brace my heart, for this new start.
And when you stop asking why, Then you can start to say goodbye. The pain will only hold you there, And never get you anywhere. And so I must go on with life. That I cannot sacrifice.
And I will hold you in my heart, As I make this brand-new start.
—————
By Tonya Thompson
In honor of Tonya Thompson's older brother, Randal Wagoner Jr., who passed in January, 2011, at the age of 41.
Matty was born September 24, 1971 in New York City, NY. She is the daughter of Alberto and Matilde (Cerboni) Marichal.
The funeral will be held 11:00 am on Friday, July 9 at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic Church with Rev. Marchin Michalowski officiating.
Burial will be in Hackettstown Union Cemetery, Hackettstown following the mass.
Visitation will be Thursday, July 8 from 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Cochran Funeral Home, 905 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Matty Auer, age 49, of Hackettstown died Saturday, July 3, 2021. Matty was born September 24, 1971 in New York City, NY. She is the daughter of Alberto and Matilde (Cerboni) Marichal.
She was employed by UPS, Budd Lake, NJ as a Driver. Matty loved music and enjoyed singing, was a very outspoken person, who was always the life of the party.
In addition to her parents, Matty is survived by her loving daughter, Emily Auer, her two cherished sons, Christopher and Michael Auer, her two brothers, Albert Marichal and wife Lorena, Gerard Marichal and wife Morgan, a sister, Emma Marichal, her loving companion, Janti Wazirmas and her nieces and nephews, Kenneth, Benjamin, Isabella, Fletcher, Harrison and Campbell.
The funeral will be held 11:00 am on Friday, July 9 at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic Church with Rev. Marchin Michalowski officiating. Burial will be in Hackettstown Union Cemetery, Hackettstown following the mass.
Visitation will be Thursday, July 8 from 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Cochran Funeral Home, 905 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Father John's Animal Rescue, 58 Father John Lane Lafayette, NJ 07848 or to Tri County Fire Company, 1720 NJ-57, Hackettstown, NJ 07840 in memory of Matty.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hackettstown Mother, UPS Driver Killed On Job By Fallen Tree
Matty Auer, 49, is being remembered in the community and by colleagues after a tree hit her delivery truck while working this past Saturday.
HACKETTSTOWN, NJ — Hackettstown resident Matty Auer is being remembered by friends, colleagues and the communities where she served as a UPS driver for her smile, friendliness and for being "the life of the party."
The beloved mother of three was tragically killed while making deliveries this past Saturday in Vernon, when a tree uprooted and hit her delivery truck as she was driving by it.
Auer, 49, who will be laid to rest on Friday, became trapped in her truck after the tree fell, with the Vernon Township Police Department, multiple fire departments and rescue squads and a tree service working to free her.
Initially reported as a "motor vehicle crash," police shut down Sleepy Hollow Road temporarily after the call came in at about 12:20 p.m. on July 3.
When crews were able to get Auer out of her truck, she was medevaced to Morristown Medical Center where Vernon Police say she later died from her injuries.
According to her obituary, Auer was also the mother of Emily, Christopher and Michael Auer.
Auer, who was based in Budd Lake's UPS facility, was a familiar face in the Vernon neighborhood, about 30 miles and an hour's ride from the center where she worked, with one resident in Vernon remembering her on one of the police department's Facebook posts about the incident, for her "beautiful smile on her face," as Auer made deliveries in their neighborhood.
Members from the center where Auer worked also posted online tributes to her.
The Facebook Page, "UPS Dogs," celebrating the bond that can be formed between UPS drivers and some dogs they meet along their routes, also posted about Auer.
"Yesterday, we tragically lost one of our sisters in brown," the tribute read. "My coworker and friend Matty Auer died while on route when a tree fell onto her truck."
"She was so proud to be a UPS driver and will be missed beyond measure," they also wrote, along with posting a photo of a smiling Auer in her uniform.
A GoFundMe fundraiser set up by a family friend on Sunday for medical and funeral expenses has raised close to $28,000 as of Tuesday.
Auer's obituary asks that donations be made in her memory to Father John's Animal House in Lafayette and Hackettstown's Tri-County Volunteer Fire Company.
A visitation for Auer has been scheduled on Thursday from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at Cochran Funeral Home on 905 High Street in Hackettstown. A funeral mass is planned for Friday at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic Church at 2 East Springtown Road in Long Valley, with the burial to follow at Hackettstown Union Cemetery.
By Jennifer Jean Miller, Patch Staff
Jul 6, 2021 1:01 pm EDT
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A UPS driver was killed in Vernon after a tree fell onto the roadway and crushed her truck while she was driving Saturday afternoon, Vernon police said.
Matty Auer, 49, of Hackettstown, was traveling on Sleepy Hollow Road shortly before 12:30 p.m. when the large tree uprooted and pinned her inside the truck, according to police chief Daniel Young.
First responders worked to free Auer from the truck as nearby tree crews and a contractor worked to remove the tree, Young said. Auer was removed from the truck and flown to Morristown Medical Center where she died of her injuries.
Police did not say why they believe the tree toppled.
Residents on Facebook remembered Auer as a "regular" in the community who always arrived with a "smiling face." Auer was a mother of three children, according to a GoFundMe campaign created by a friend to help defray costs of the funeral and medical expenses.
LORI COMSTOCK | NEW JERSEY HERALD
July 4, 2021
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
VERNON TOWNSHIP, NJ (Sussex County) – A UPS driver died after a tree fell on her delivery truck in Vernon Township Saturday afternoon, according to police.
The crash happened on July 3, at 12:20 p.m. on Sleepy Hollow Road, police said.
The investigation on scene revealed that a large tree had uprooted and fallen onto the roadway striking a passing UPS delivery truck. The driver, a 49-year-old Hackettstown woman, was trapped in the driver compartment of the vehicle, police said.
Rescue crews worked to free her, along with the assistance of a local tree service company and contractor who were nearby, police said.
She was extricated from the UPS truck and then airlifted to Morristown Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries, police said.
The Vernon Township Police Department, Pochuck Fire Department, McAfee Fire Department, Vernon Township Fire Department, Highland Lakes Fire Department, Vernon Township Ambulance Squad, Glenwood Pochuck Ambulance Squad, and St. Claire's Paramedics assisted at the scene.
WRNJ Radio, Hackettstown, New Jersey, July 4, 2021.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When You Stop Asking Why
By Tonya Thompson
All these emotions, change by the moment. Stuck in time, inside my mind. Shifting tides changed my life. Tore me apart, and broke my heart.
But when you stop asking why, then you can start to say goodbye. The pain will only hold you there, and never get you anywhere. And so I must go on with life. That I cannot sacrifice.
And I will hold you in my heart, as I make this brand-new start.
Precious memories, can I take them with me?
Oh, they hurt, oh so deeply. But they were true, and they were mine. And I can't erase time.
Can't change the past to ease the pain, and so they must always remain.
And when you stop asking why, then you can start to say goodbye. The pain will only hold you there, and never get you anywhere. And so I must go on with life. That I cannot sacrifice.
And I will hold you in my heart, as I make this brand-new start.
Curtains open, I step forward. Take a breath, to see what's left. Arms wide open, no more trembling. Brace my heart, for this new start.
And when you stop asking why, Then you can start to say goodbye. The pain will only hold you there, And never get you anywhere. And so I must go on with life. That I cannot sacrifice.
And I will hold you in my heart, As I make this brand-new start.
—————
By Tonya Thompson
In honor of Tonya Thompson's older brother, Randal Wagoner Jr., who passed in January, 2011, at the age of 41.
Matty Auer, age 49, of Hackettstown died Saturday, July 3, 2021.
Matty was born September 24, 1971 in New York City, NY. She is the daughter of Alberto and Matilde (Cerboni) Marichal.
The funeral will be held 11:00 am on Friday, July 9 at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic Church with Rev. Marchin Michalowski officiating.
Burial will be in Hackettstown Union Cemetery, Hackettstown following the mass.
Visitation will be Thursday, July 8 from 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Cochran Funeral Home, 905 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Matty Auer, age 49, of Hackettstown died Saturday, July 3, 2021. Matty was born September 24, 1971 in New York City, NY. She is the daughter of Alberto and Matilde (Cerboni) Marichal.
She was employed by UPS, Budd Lake, NJ as a Driver. Matty loved music and enjoyed singing, was a very outspoken person, who was always the life of the party.
In addition to her parents, Matty is survived by her loving daughter, Emily Auer, her two cherished sons, Christopher and Michael Auer, her two brothers, Albert Marichal and wife Lorena, Gerard Marichal and wife Morgan, a sister, Emma Marichal, her loving companion, Janti Wazirmas and her nieces and nephews, Kenneth, Benjamin, Isabella, Fletcher, Harrison and Campbell.
The funeral will be held 11:00 am on Friday, July 9 at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic Church with Rev. Marchin Michalowski officiating. Burial will be in Hackettstown Union Cemetery, Hackettstown following the mass.
Visitation will be Thursday, July 8 from 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Cochran Funeral Home, 905 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Father John's Animal Rescue, 58 Father John Lane Lafayette, NJ 07848 or to Tri County Fire Company, 1720 NJ-57, Hackettstown, NJ 07840 in memory of Matty.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hackettstown Mother, UPS Driver Killed On Job By Fallen Tree
Matty Auer, 49, is being remembered in the community and by colleagues after a tree hit her delivery truck while working this past Saturday.
HACKETTSTOWN, NJ — Hackettstown resident Matty Auer is being remembered by friends, colleagues and the communities where she served as a UPS driver for her smile, friendliness and for being "the life of the party."
The beloved mother of three was tragically killed while making deliveries this past Saturday in Vernon, when a tree uprooted and hit her delivery truck as she was driving by it.
Auer, 49, who will be laid to rest on Friday, became trapped in her truck after the tree fell, with the Vernon Township Police Department, multiple fire departments and rescue squads and a tree service working to free her.
Initially reported as a "motor vehicle crash," police shut down Sleepy Hollow Road temporarily after the call came in at about 12:20 p.m. on July 3.
When crews were able to get Auer out of her truck, she was medevaced to Morristown Medical Center where Vernon Police say she later died from her injuries.
According to her obituary, Auer was also the mother of Emily, Christopher and Michael Auer.
Auer, who was based in Budd Lake's UPS facility, was a familiar face in the Vernon neighborhood, about 30 miles and an hour's ride from the center where she worked, with one resident in Vernon remembering her on one of the police department's Facebook posts about the incident, for her "beautiful smile on her face," as Auer made deliveries in their neighborhood.
Members from the center where Auer worked also posted online tributes to her.
The Facebook Page, "UPS Dogs," celebrating the bond that can be formed between UPS drivers and some dogs they meet along their routes, also posted about Auer.
"Yesterday, we tragically lost one of our sisters in brown," the tribute read. "My coworker and friend Matty Auer died while on route when a tree fell onto her truck."
"She was so proud to be a UPS driver and will be missed beyond measure," they also wrote, along with posting a photo of a smiling Auer in her uniform.
A GoFundMe fundraiser set up by a family friend on Sunday for medical and funeral expenses has raised close to $28,000 as of Tuesday.
Auer's obituary asks that donations be made in her memory to Father John's Animal House in Lafayette and Hackettstown's Tri-County Volunteer Fire Company.
A visitation for Auer has been scheduled on Thursday from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at Cochran Funeral Home on 905 High Street in Hackettstown. A funeral mass is planned for Friday at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic Church at 2 East Springtown Road in Long Valley, with the burial to follow at Hackettstown Union Cemetery.
By Jennifer Jean Miller, Patch Staff
Jul 6, 2021 1:01 pm EDT
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A UPS driver was killed in Vernon after a tree fell onto the roadway and crushed her truck while she was driving Saturday afternoon, Vernon police said.
Matty Auer, 49, of Hackettstown, was traveling on Sleepy Hollow Road shortly before 12:30 p.m. when the large tree uprooted and pinned her inside the truck, according to police chief Daniel Young.
First responders worked to free Auer from the truck as nearby tree crews and a contractor worked to remove the tree, Young said. Auer was removed from the truck and flown to Morristown Medical Center where she died of her injuries.
Police did not say why they believe the tree toppled.
Residents on Facebook remembered Auer as a "regular" in the community who always arrived with a "smiling face." Auer was a mother of three children, according to a GoFundMe campaign created by a friend to help defray costs of the funeral and medical expenses.
LORI COMSTOCK | NEW JERSEY HERALD
July 4, 2021
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
VERNON TOWNSHIP, NJ (Sussex County) – A UPS driver died after a tree fell on her delivery truck in Vernon Township Saturday afternoon, according to police.
The crash happened on July 3, at 12:20 p.m. on Sleepy Hollow Road, police said.
The investigation on scene revealed that a large tree had uprooted and fallen onto the roadway striking a passing UPS delivery truck. The driver, a 49-year-old Hackettstown woman, was trapped in the driver compartment of the vehicle, police said.
Rescue crews worked to free her, along with the assistance of a local tree service company and contractor who were nearby, police said.
She was extricated from the UPS truck and then airlifted to Morristown Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries, police said.
The Vernon Township Police Department, Pochuck Fire Department, McAfee Fire Department, Vernon Township Fire Department, Highland Lakes Fire Department, Vernon Township Ambulance Squad, Glenwood Pochuck Ambulance Squad, and St. Claire's Paramedics assisted at the scene.
WRNJ Radio, Hackettstown, New Jersey, July 4, 2021.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When You Stop Asking Why
By Tonya Thompson
All these emotions, change by the moment. Stuck in time, inside my mind. Shifting tides changed my life. Tore me apart, and broke my heart.
But when you stop asking why, then you can start to say goodbye. The pain will only hold you there, and never get you anywhere. And so I must go on with life. That I cannot sacrifice.
And I will hold you in my heart, as I make this brand-new start.
Precious memories, can I take them with me?
Oh, they hurt, oh so deeply. But they were true, and they were mine. And I can't erase time.
Can't change the past to ease the pain, and so they must always remain.
And when you stop asking why, then you can start to say goodbye. The pain will only hold you there, and never get you anywhere. And so I must go on with life. That I cannot sacrifice.
And I will hold you in my heart, as I make this brand-new start.
Curtains open, I step forward. Take a breath, to see what's left. Arms wide open, no more trembling. Brace my heart, for this new start.
And when you stop asking why, Then you can start to say goodbye. The pain will only hold you there, And never get you anywhere. And so I must go on with life. That I cannot sacrifice.
And I will hold you in my heart, As I make this brand-new start.
—————
By Tonya Thompson
In honor of Tonya Thompson's older brother, Randal Wagoner Jr., who passed in January, 2011, at the age of 41.
Matty was born September 24, 1971 in New York City, NY. She is the daughter of Alberto and Matilde (Cerboni) Marichal.
The funeral will be held 11:00 am on Friday, July 9 at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic Church with Rev. Marchin Michalowski officiating.
Burial will be in Hackettstown Union Cemetery, Hackettstown following the mass.
Visitation will be Thursday, July 8 from 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Cochran Funeral Home, 905 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Matty Auer, age 49, of Hackettstown died Saturday, July 3, 2021. Matty was born September 24, 1971 in New York City, NY. She is the daughter of Alberto and Matilde (Cerboni) Marichal.
She was employed by UPS, Budd Lake, NJ as a Driver. Matty loved music and enjoyed singing, was a very outspoken person, who was always the life of the party.
In addition to her parents, Matty is survived by her loving daughter, Emily Auer, her two cherished sons, Christopher and Michael Auer, her two brothers, Albert Marichal and wife Lorena, Gerard Marichal and wife Morgan, a sister, Emma Marichal, her loving companion, Janti Wazirmas and her nieces and nephews, Kenneth, Benjamin, Isabella, Fletcher, Harrison and Campbell.
The funeral will be held 11:00 am on Friday, July 9 at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic Church with Rev. Marchin Michalowski officiating. Burial will be in Hackettstown Union Cemetery, Hackettstown following the mass.
Visitation will be Thursday, July 8 from 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Cochran Funeral Home, 905 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Father John's Animal Rescue, 58 Father John Lane Lafayette, NJ 07848 or to Tri County Fire Company, 1720 NJ-57, Hackettstown, NJ 07840 in memory of Matty.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hackettstown Mother, UPS Driver Killed On Job By Fallen Tree
Matty Auer, 49, is being remembered in the community and by colleagues after a tree hit her delivery truck while working this past Saturday.
HACKETTSTOWN, NJ — Hackettstown resident Matty Auer is being remembered by friends, colleagues and the communities where she served as a UPS driver for her smile, friendliness and for being "the life of the party."
The beloved mother of three was tragically killed while making deliveries this past Saturday in Vernon, when a tree uprooted and hit her delivery truck as she was driving by it.
Auer, 49, who will be laid to rest on Friday, became trapped in her truck after the tree fell, with the Vernon Township Police Department, multiple fire departments and rescue squads and a tree service working to free her.
Initially reported as a "motor vehicle crash," police shut down Sleepy Hollow Road temporarily after the call came in at about 12:20 p.m. on July 3.
When crews were able to get Auer out of her truck, she was medevaced to Morristown Medical Center where Vernon Police say she later died from her injuries.
According to her obituary, Auer was also the mother of Emily, Christopher and Michael Auer.
Auer, who was based in Budd Lake's UPS facility, was a familiar face in the Vernon neighborhood, about 30 miles and an hour's ride from the center where she worked, with one resident in Vernon remembering her on one of the police department's Facebook posts about the incident, for her "beautiful smile on her face," as Auer made deliveries in their neighborhood.
Members from the center where Auer worked also posted online tributes to her.
The Facebook Page, "UPS Dogs," celebrating the bond that can be formed between UPS drivers and some dogs they meet along their routes, also posted about Auer.
"Yesterday, we tragically lost one of our sisters in brown," the tribute read. "My coworker and friend Matty Auer died while on route when a tree fell onto her truck."
"She was so proud to be a UPS driver and will be missed beyond measure," they also wrote, along with posting a photo of a smiling Auer in her uniform.
A GoFundMe fundraiser set up by a family friend on Sunday for medical and funeral expenses has raised close to $28,000 as of Tuesday.
Auer's obituary asks that donations be made in her memory to Father John's Animal House in Lafayette and Hackettstown's Tri-County Volunteer Fire Company.
A visitation for Auer has been scheduled on Thursday from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at Cochran Funeral Home on 905 High Street in Hackettstown. A funeral mass is planned for Friday at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic Church at 2 East Springtown Road in Long Valley, with the burial to follow at Hackettstown Union Cemetery.
By Jennifer Jean Miller, Patch Staff
Jul 6, 2021 1:01 pm EDT
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A UPS driver was killed in Vernon after a tree fell onto the roadway and crushed her truck while she was driving Saturday afternoon, Vernon police said.
Matty Auer, 49, of Hackettstown, was traveling on Sleepy Hollow Road shortly before 12:30 p.m. when the large tree uprooted and pinned her inside the truck, according to police chief Daniel Young.
First responders worked to free Auer from the truck as nearby tree crews and a contractor worked to remove the tree, Young said. Auer was removed from the truck and flown to Morristown Medical Center where she died of her injuries.
Police did not say why they believe the tree toppled.
Residents on Facebook remembered Auer as a "regular" in the community who always arrived with a "smiling face." Auer was a mother of three children, according to a GoFundMe campaign created by a friend to help defray costs of the funeral and medical expenses.
LORI COMSTOCK | NEW JERSEY HERALD
July 4, 2021
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
VERNON TOWNSHIP, NJ (Sussex County) – A UPS driver died after a tree fell on her delivery truck in Vernon Township Saturday afternoon, according to police.
The crash happened on July 3, at 12:20 p.m. on Sleepy Hollow Road, police said.
The investigation on scene revealed that a large tree had uprooted and fallen onto the roadway striking a passing UPS delivery truck. The driver, a 49-year-old Hackettstown woman, was trapped in the driver compartment of the vehicle, police said.
Rescue crews worked to free her, along with the assistance of a local tree service company and contractor who were nearby, police said.
She was extricated from the UPS truck and then airlifted to Morristown Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries, police said.
The Vernon Township Police Department, Pochuck Fire Department, McAfee Fire Department, Vernon Township Fire Department, Highland Lakes Fire Department, Vernon Township Ambulance Squad, Glenwood Pochuck Ambulance Squad, and St. Claire's Paramedics assisted at the scene.
WRNJ Radio, Hackettstown, New Jersey, July 4, 2021.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When You Stop Asking Why
By Tonya Thompson
All these emotions, change by the moment. Stuck in time, inside my mind. Shifting tides changed my life. Tore me apart, and broke my heart.
But when you stop asking why, then you can start to say goodbye. The pain will only hold you there, and never get you anywhere. And so I must go on with life. That I cannot sacrifice.
And I will hold you in my heart, as I make this brand-new start.
Precious memories, can I take them with me?
Oh, they hurt, oh so deeply. But they were true, and they were mine. And I can't erase time.
Can't change the past to ease the pain, and so they must always remain.
And when you stop asking why, then you can start to say goodbye. The pain will only hold you there, and never get you anywhere. And so I must go on with life. That I cannot sacrifice.
And I will hold you in my heart, as I make this brand-new start.
Curtains open, I step forward. Take a breath, to see what's left. Arms wide open, no more trembling. Brace my heart, for this new start.
And when you stop asking why, Then you can start to say goodbye. The pain will only hold you there, And never get you anywhere. And so I must go on with life. That I cannot sacrifice.
And I will hold you in my heart, As I make this brand-new start.
—————
By Tonya Thompson
In honor of Tonya Thompson's older brother, Randal Wagoner Jr., who passed in January, 2011, at the age of 41.
