My Mother - A Special Woman
Born on June 29, 1921, in Suffern, New York, my mother, Elizabeth Barrow Haring, was the second of four children born to Marguerite Blanche Requa Haring and James Smith Haring, III of Ridgewood, New Jersey. She was named after her great grandmother, Elizabeth Barrow, whose grandfather was the Magistrate of Wedmore in Somerset County, England. She had the bluest of eyes and blondest hair her father had ever seen. She was a playful child, often running her fingers along the middle of a newly baked cake that held vanilla cream in the middle oozing out for her to take a taste of. She delighted in the tantalizing taste of a delectable sweet much like her mother who enjoyed chocolate bonbons throughout her life.
Her formative years were spent in Ridgewood, New Jersey graduating from Ridgewood High School, first in her class of 1939. She worked for New Jersey Bell for several years while starting a family and living in the Upper Saddle River area. Her husband was a builder in Saddle River and Upper Saddle River.
Relocating to Palm Beach County, Florida in 1956, she raised two sons and a daughter. She was a terrific cook and wonderful knitter. She relished complicated patterns of knitting. Nothing was too difficult for her. The little red outfits shown in the additional photos were knitted by her. The twins and their older brother had a different matching set of clothes every day resulting from her acumen with the needle!
For a time, she did work at RCA in West Palm Beach. Active in her community, she hosted a local radio talk show for area socialites at WLIZ in Palm Beach.
She was particularly close with me, her only daughter. When I finished graduate school and moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Mother decided she would make the move to join my little family there. That move was in 1983. She spent her remaining years in Garland and Plano. We enjoyed seeing her every day. We took cooking classes together at the local high school during the summer months. We went shopping every day. We enjoyed cooking together. We talked. We laughed. We truly loved each other. She had a passion for dancing and would go to Senior Citizen dances almost every night. She loved to travel and to go on an adventure. She wanted all of her grandchildren to have a love of culture and travel. Though on limited income, she sent all three children to Europe. They were able to see Germany, Spain, Portugal and England. When I was 36, she and I went on a 40 day excursion to Europe traveling with a group through 13 countries. What fun we had! I remember when I was young, I was interested in touring the Capitol buildings in all of the states. Little did I know until late in life, that was one thing she was not crazy about. I could spend hours reading about the detail of each structure along with the historical events. What a terrific mother she was to indulge me when I would easily spend eight hours reading every placard and every card.
Mom had a fascinating lineage. She was descendant from the Haring family, who were the original settlers of New Amsterdam and patentees of the Orangeburg Patent, who settled in Manhattan moving to Bergen County, New Jersey and Tappan, New York. Her deep Dutch roots were through her grandfather and mother. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Barrow Wylde, who died giving birth to her her father, was from an aristocratic line in England. She was a direct scion of the Viscount Robert Tracy of Toddington, England. Her ancestors served in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. She was also descendant of the Requa family who were amongst the first French Huguenots who settled in New Rochelle, New York in the late 1600s. Her great grandfather was an owner of Glode Requa Coal and Lumber Company in Monsey, New York. James Smith Haring, III, her father - a Civil Engineer, died in June 1965, and her mother Marguerite Blanche Haring, a teacher, died in 1982 at the age of 92.
She was preceded in death by her son Lawrence Albert Nurmi, an Electrical Engineer, of Wellington, Florida on March 17, 1998, by her husband John Albert Nurmi on July 8, 1987, and by her two brothers, James Smith Haring IV and Robert Tracy Haring. Her husband was a renowned builder in the Upper Saddle River area of New Jersey.
Betty was buried in the Brick Church Cemetery in Rockland County New York next to her mother and three siblings.
She was a wonderful, wonderful mother and I will miss you dearly until I can one day see her in Heaven.
With much love mom. I will never forget you calling me the "best little girl ever" up to the time you died. I wanted to always make you happy and to serve ya Mom. I always did.
Love your girl, Carole Elizabeth Nurmi Cummings
Born on June 29, 1921, in Suffern, New York, my mother, Elizabeth Barrow Haring, was the second of four children born to Marguerite Blanche Requa Haring and James Smith Haring, III of Ridgewood, New Jersey. She was named after her great grandmother, Elizabeth Barrow, whose grandfather was the Magistrate of Wedmore in Somerset County, England. She had the bluest of eyes and blondest hair her father had ever seen. She was a playful child, often running her fingers along the middle of a newly baked cake that held vanilla cream in the middle oozing out for her to take a taste of. She delighted in the tantalizing taste of a delectable sweet much like her mother who enjoyed chocolate bonbons throughout her life.
Her formative years were spent in Ridgewood, New Jersey graduating from Ridgewood High School, first in her class of 1939. She worked for New Jersey Bell for several years while starting a family and living in the Upper Saddle River area. Her husband was a builder in Saddle River and Upper Saddle River.
Relocating to Palm Beach County, Florida in 1956, she raised two sons and a daughter. She was a terrific cook and wonderful knitter. She relished complicated patterns of knitting. Nothing was too difficult for her. The little red outfits shown in the additional photos were knitted by her. The twins and their older brother had a different matching set of clothes every day resulting from her acumen with the needle!
For a time, she did work at RCA in West Palm Beach. Active in her community, she hosted a local radio talk show for area socialites at WLIZ in Palm Beach.
She was particularly close with me, her only daughter. When I finished graduate school and moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Mother decided she would make the move to join my little family there. That move was in 1983. She spent her remaining years in Garland and Plano. We enjoyed seeing her every day. We took cooking classes together at the local high school during the summer months. We went shopping every day. We enjoyed cooking together. We talked. We laughed. We truly loved each other. She had a passion for dancing and would go to Senior Citizen dances almost every night. She loved to travel and to go on an adventure. She wanted all of her grandchildren to have a love of culture and travel. Though on limited income, she sent all three children to Europe. They were able to see Germany, Spain, Portugal and England. When I was 36, she and I went on a 40 day excursion to Europe traveling with a group through 13 countries. What fun we had! I remember when I was young, I was interested in touring the Capitol buildings in all of the states. Little did I know until late in life, that was one thing she was not crazy about. I could spend hours reading about the detail of each structure along with the historical events. What a terrific mother she was to indulge me when I would easily spend eight hours reading every placard and every card.
Mom had a fascinating lineage. She was descendant from the Haring family, who were the original settlers of New Amsterdam and patentees of the Orangeburg Patent, who settled in Manhattan moving to Bergen County, New Jersey and Tappan, New York. Her deep Dutch roots were through her grandfather and mother. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Barrow Wylde, who died giving birth to her her father, was from an aristocratic line in England. She was a direct scion of the Viscount Robert Tracy of Toddington, England. Her ancestors served in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. She was also descendant of the Requa family who were amongst the first French Huguenots who settled in New Rochelle, New York in the late 1600s. Her great grandfather was an owner of Glode Requa Coal and Lumber Company in Monsey, New York. James Smith Haring, III, her father - a Civil Engineer, died in June 1965, and her mother Marguerite Blanche Haring, a teacher, died in 1982 at the age of 92.
She was preceded in death by her son Lawrence Albert Nurmi, an Electrical Engineer, of Wellington, Florida on March 17, 1998, by her husband John Albert Nurmi on July 8, 1987, and by her two brothers, James Smith Haring IV and Robert Tracy Haring. Her husband was a renowned builder in the Upper Saddle River area of New Jersey.
Betty was buried in the Brick Church Cemetery in Rockland County New York next to her mother and three siblings.
She was a wonderful, wonderful mother and I will miss you dearly until I can one day see her in Heaven.
With much love mom. I will never forget you calling me the "best little girl ever" up to the time you died. I wanted to always make you happy and to serve ya Mom. I always did.
Love your girl, Carole Elizabeth Nurmi Cummings
My Mother - A Special Woman
Born on June 29, 1921, in Suffern, New York, my mother, Elizabeth Barrow Haring, was the second of four children born to Marguerite Blanche Requa Haring and James Smith Haring, III of Ridgewood, New Jersey. She was named after her great grandmother, Elizabeth Barrow, whose grandfather was the Magistrate of Wedmore in Somerset County, England. She had the bluest of eyes and blondest hair her father had ever seen. She was a playful child, often running her fingers along the middle of a newly baked cake that held vanilla cream in the middle oozing out for her to take a taste of. She delighted in the tantalizing taste of a delectable sweet much like her mother who enjoyed chocolate bonbons throughout her life.
Her formative years were spent in Ridgewood, New Jersey graduating from Ridgewood High School, first in her class of 1939. She worked for New Jersey Bell for several years while starting a family and living in the Upper Saddle River area. Her husband was a builder in Saddle River and Upper Saddle River.
Relocating to Palm Beach County, Florida in 1956, she raised two sons and a daughter. She was a terrific cook and wonderful knitter. She relished complicated patterns of knitting. Nothing was too difficult for her. The little red outfits shown in the additional photos were knitted by her. The twins and their older brother had a different matching set of clothes every day resulting from her acumen with the needle!
For a time, she did work at RCA in West Palm Beach. Active in her community, she hosted a local radio talk show for area socialites at WLIZ in Palm Beach.
She was particularly close with me, her only daughter. When I finished graduate school and moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Mother decided she would make the move to join my little family there. That move was in 1983. She spent her remaining years in Garland and Plano. We enjoyed seeing her every day. We took cooking classes together at the local high school during the summer months. We went shopping every day. We enjoyed cooking together. We talked. We laughed. We truly loved each other. She had a passion for dancing and would go to Senior Citizen dances almost every night. She loved to travel and to go on an adventure. She wanted all of her grandchildren to have a love of culture and travel. Though on limited income, she sent all three children to Europe. They were able to see Germany, Spain, Portugal and England. When I was 36, she and I went on a 40 day excursion to Europe traveling with a group through 13 countries. What fun we had! I remember when I was young, I was interested in touring the Capitol buildings in all of the states. Little did I know until late in life, that was one thing she was not crazy about. I could spend hours reading about the detail of each structure along with the historical events. What a terrific mother she was to indulge me when I would easily spend eight hours reading every placard and every card.
Mom had a fascinating lineage. She was descendant from the Haring family, who were the original settlers of New Amsterdam and patentees of the Orangeburg Patent, who settled in Manhattan moving to Bergen County, New Jersey and Tappan, New York. Her deep Dutch roots were through her grandfather and mother. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Barrow Wylde, who died giving birth to her her father, was from an aristocratic line in England. She was a direct scion of the Viscount Robert Tracy of Toddington, England. Her ancestors served in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. She was also descendant of the Requa family who were amongst the first French Huguenots who settled in New Rochelle, New York in the late 1600s. Her great grandfather was an owner of Glode Requa Coal and Lumber Company in Monsey, New York. James Smith Haring, III, her father - a Civil Engineer, died in June 1965, and her mother Marguerite Blanche Haring, a teacher, died in 1982 at the age of 92.
She was preceded in death by her son Lawrence Albert Nurmi, an Electrical Engineer, of Wellington, Florida on March 17, 1998, by her husband John Albert Nurmi on July 8, 1987, and by her two brothers, James Smith Haring IV and Robert Tracy Haring. Her husband was a renowned builder in the Upper Saddle River area of New Jersey.
Betty was buried in the Brick Church Cemetery in Rockland County New York next to her mother and three siblings.
She was a wonderful, wonderful mother and I will miss you dearly until I can one day see her in Heaven.
With much love mom. I will never forget you calling me the "best little girl ever" up to the time you died. I wanted to always make you happy and to serve ya Mom. I always did.
Love your girl, Carole Elizabeth Nurmi Cummings
Born on June 29, 1921, in Suffern, New York, my mother, Elizabeth Barrow Haring, was the second of four children born to Marguerite Blanche Requa Haring and James Smith Haring, III of Ridgewood, New Jersey. She was named after her great grandmother, Elizabeth Barrow, whose grandfather was the Magistrate of Wedmore in Somerset County, England. She had the bluest of eyes and blondest hair her father had ever seen. She was a playful child, often running her fingers along the middle of a newly baked cake that held vanilla cream in the middle oozing out for her to take a taste of. She delighted in the tantalizing taste of a delectable sweet much like her mother who enjoyed chocolate bonbons throughout her life.
Her formative years were spent in Ridgewood, New Jersey graduating from Ridgewood High School, first in her class of 1939. She worked for New Jersey Bell for several years while starting a family and living in the Upper Saddle River area. Her husband was a builder in Saddle River and Upper Saddle River.
Relocating to Palm Beach County, Florida in 1956, she raised two sons and a daughter. She was a terrific cook and wonderful knitter. She relished complicated patterns of knitting. Nothing was too difficult for her. The little red outfits shown in the additional photos were knitted by her. The twins and their older brother had a different matching set of clothes every day resulting from her acumen with the needle!
For a time, she did work at RCA in West Palm Beach. Active in her community, she hosted a local radio talk show for area socialites at WLIZ in Palm Beach.
She was particularly close with me, her only daughter. When I finished graduate school and moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Mother decided she would make the move to join my little family there. That move was in 1983. She spent her remaining years in Garland and Plano. We enjoyed seeing her every day. We took cooking classes together at the local high school during the summer months. We went shopping every day. We enjoyed cooking together. We talked. We laughed. We truly loved each other. She had a passion for dancing and would go to Senior Citizen dances almost every night. She loved to travel and to go on an adventure. She wanted all of her grandchildren to have a love of culture and travel. Though on limited income, she sent all three children to Europe. They were able to see Germany, Spain, Portugal and England. When I was 36, she and I went on a 40 day excursion to Europe traveling with a group through 13 countries. What fun we had! I remember when I was young, I was interested in touring the Capitol buildings in all of the states. Little did I know until late in life, that was one thing she was not crazy about. I could spend hours reading about the detail of each structure along with the historical events. What a terrific mother she was to indulge me when I would easily spend eight hours reading every placard and every card.
Mom had a fascinating lineage. She was descendant from the Haring family, who were the original settlers of New Amsterdam and patentees of the Orangeburg Patent, who settled in Manhattan moving to Bergen County, New Jersey and Tappan, New York. Her deep Dutch roots were through her grandfather and mother. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Barrow Wylde, who died giving birth to her her father, was from an aristocratic line in England. She was a direct scion of the Viscount Robert Tracy of Toddington, England. Her ancestors served in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. She was also descendant of the Requa family who were amongst the first French Huguenots who settled in New Rochelle, New York in the late 1600s. Her great grandfather was an owner of Glode Requa Coal and Lumber Company in Monsey, New York. James Smith Haring, III, her father - a Civil Engineer, died in June 1965, and her mother Marguerite Blanche Haring, a teacher, died in 1982 at the age of 92.
She was preceded in death by her son Lawrence Albert Nurmi, an Electrical Engineer, of Wellington, Florida on March 17, 1998, by her husband John Albert Nurmi on July 8, 1987, and by her two brothers, James Smith Haring IV and Robert Tracy Haring. Her husband was a renowned builder in the Upper Saddle River area of New Jersey.
Betty was buried in the Brick Church Cemetery in Rockland County New York next to her mother and three siblings.
She was a wonderful, wonderful mother and I will miss you dearly until I can one day see her in Heaven.
With much love mom. I will never forget you calling me the "best little girl ever" up to the time you died. I wanted to always make you happy and to serve ya Mom. I always did.
Love your girl, Carole Elizabeth Nurmi Cummings
