Published in Daily Record on May 13, 2018
Rockaway, New Jersey

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Shirley (nee Ahlers) Kearney

Hackettstown - Shirley (nee Ahlers) Kearney died on Friday, May 11, 2018
at The House of the Good Shepherd, Hackettstown. She was 81. Born in Dover,
NJ, she lived in the Budd Lake section of Mount Olive Twp. all her life.

She was a graduate of Douglass College, the women's division of Rutgers
University, and began her career as a classroom teacher at the Lincoln
Elementary School in Roxbury Twp. in 1958 where she taught until her
retirement in 1993. Shirley was a member and past president of the Roxbury
Education Association (REA) and served as chief negotiator representing
the Roxbury Twp. teachers and staff. She also served as chairman of several
committees and was an active member of the Morris County Education Assoc.,
the New Jersey Education Assoc. and the National Teachers Assoc., attending
meetings, workshops, etc. on behalf of her colleagues in the REA.

A member of the United Methodist Church since her childhood, Shirley was 
a lay minister in her local parish and served as president of the United
Methodist Women there until her death. She considered it to be an honor
and worked diligently on fund raisers such as the roast beef dinners and
luncheons. Her favorite was packing the Christmas shoeboxes which were sent
to underprivileged children.

Shirley's life was one of commitment, whether it was her family, her 
church or her students and teachers. When she accepted a responsibility,
she remained committed until its completion.

Survivors include her sister, Patricia Baer, Benton, Pa., her brother, 
Walter Ahlers and his wife, Lois, Mt. Olive Twp., her foster siblings,
Lois, Gloria and Steven and many devoted nieces and nephews.

She is predeceased by her husband, Lieutenant James Kearney of the Mt. Olive 
Twp. Police Dept.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at 11 am at The 
Drakestown United Methodist Church, 6 Church Road, Hackettstown. Interment
will follow at Union Cemetery, Hackettstown.

Friends may call at the Cochran Funeral Home, 905 High Street, Hackettstown
on Monday, May 14, 2018 from 4-8PM.

For those desiring donations may be made to the Draketown United Methodist
Church, 6 Church Road, Hackettstown, NJ 07840 in memory of Shirley.

Online condolences may be made at www.cochranfuneral.com

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