Celebrating Women’s History Month with Six Crane’s Mill Centenarians
Crane’s Mill has so much history to celebrate—from its beginnings as a working lumber mill through its current-day purpose as a renowned retirement community, the campus has been a good neighbor in the West Essex area since the 1700s.
Crane’s Mill welcomes residents starting as young as age 60, and across our campus you will find a variety of people from all ages and backgrounds. Throughout the years, authors, artists, activists, politicians, educators, doctors, lawyers CEOs, and so many other accomplished people resided at the community. Crane’s Mill was even home to a hall of fame baseball player!
This March, to honor Women’s History Month, the community is spotlighting six amazing women who represent our Independent Living centenarians:
Patricia Gleason, 100
Pat moved to Crane’s Mill from Verona, New Jersey. She and her husband, a Schering-Plough Director and Vice President (deceased), and their six children lived in places as diverse as Canada and Mexico. In more recent years, Pat served on the board of the Garden Club of Montclair and as a docent at the Montclair Art Museum. Her interests are travel, art, music, reading, and her family.
Doris Hentschel, 100
Doris moved to Crane’s Mill after residing in Dumont, New Jersey. Her previous job was as chief cook and bottle washer in a small office where she worked for forty-six years. She is a member of the Lutheran Church of our Redeemer in Dumont. She volunteered for the Lutheran Braille Workers assembling books and is involved in many church organizations. Her hobbies include reading, music, and traveling.
Mickey Konweiser, 100
Mickey moved to Crane’s Mill from Roseland, New Jersey, in 2019. She grew up in Newark and lived in South Orange where she worked at Satsk’s Jewelers. She has one daughter, two grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Mickey is an avid advanced bridge player and was active at the Deborah Hospital and the National Council of Jewish Women. She and her husband, who was an electrical contractor, enjoyed traveling in Europe.
Margaret (Peg) Pomorski, 101
Peg moved to Crane’s Mill after living in Clifton for sixty-two years. She is a mother of two daughters and has three grandchildren. After graduating from business school, she worked as a secretary at General Electric Company. Peg is a member of St. Philip’s Catholic Church in Clifton as well as the New Jersey Power Boating Squadron and the Arnold Palmer Golf Association. She enjoys boating, golf, tennis, sewing, crafts, and gardening.
Sylvia Schuster, 106
Sylvia lived in Florida before moving to Crane’s Mill. She has one daughter and three grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. Sylvia graduated from a community college and held the position of School Secretary. She enjoys reading books and watching the nightly news on TV.
Constance (Connie) Young, 100
Connie and her husband Roger were among the first five residents to live at Crane’s Mill in 1998. They have four children and are grandparents of 12. She earned a BA degree in economics at the College of St. Elizabeth. She had come east to volunteer for service in the WAVES during WWII. She moved to Verona after living for twenty-five years in Montclair, where she held membership in many service organizations. She was president of the Verona Garden Club, the Montclair Garden Club, College Women’s Club, and the Three O’clock Club.
Connie worked for twelve years at the Montclair Art Museum and served on the state boards of AAUW and the National Garden Club. Her favorite activities are gardening, competitive flower design, bridge, research projects, reading and needlepoint handwork.
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About Crane’s Mill
Crane’s Mill is a life plan retirement community located on 48 scenic acres in West Caldwell, New Jersey. A part of Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, Crane’s Mill offers independent living apartments and cottages with the promise of excellent healthcare for the future. Levels of care include assisted living, memory support, rehabilitation, and long-term skilled nursing. For more information, visit www.www.cranesmill.org or call (973) 276-6700.