Obituary of Blanche V. Furbacher

Blanche Victoria Furbacher (nee Rivera) of Chester, NJ, passed away on April 4th at Morristown’s Medical Center from the COVID-19 virus. She was 75 years old. Blanche graduated from Morristown High School in 1962 and later attended Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, MA where she obtained an Associate’s degree. After spending 25 years in Atlanta, GA, Blanche returned to her New Jersey roots, reacquainting with her childhood friend and love, Carmine Cortese. They spent much of their time with other high school friends, planning events and hosting parties. She also enjoyed the dinners and the shows that frequently brought these friends together. Blanche enjoyed life to the fullest. She loved to travel, visiting over 100 countries throughout the world. Italy was her favorite locale, she had hoped to visit again sometime soon. Closer to home, Blanche loved being a grandmother (or “Meme”, as her grandkids called her.) She loved to bake cookies, sing and dance, play games and read stories. Simply put, she was magical and larger-than-life. She is survived by her partner, Carmine Cortese, of Chester, NJ, daughters, Michelle Fernandez and husband Gonzalo of Atlanta, Ga, Angelica James and her husband David of Somerset, NJ., and grandchildren Chandler Apple, Sydney Apple, Gabriel Fernandez, Maxwell and Michaela James. Blanche is preceded in death by siblings Raoul Rivera, Charles Rivera and survived by her siblings: John Rivera, of New Hampshire, Mildred Simone, Margie Stamey of Georgia, sister-in-law Betsy Weigand-Rivera of Rockaway, NJ, plus many nieces and nephews. Due to the circumstances we now are forced to live in, in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the NJ Pandemic Relief Fund: https://njprf.org/ When the world order is restored, there will be a memorial service in Blanche's honor. Arrangements are under the care of Dangler Funeral Home, Morris Plains.