Contributions to the tribute of Carolyn H. Currey

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Wednesday, September 27, 2023

The following tribute was sent by Sarah Phan, daughter of the Phan family, a Vietnamese refugee family that Carolyn Currey helped to come to the United States in 1980. The edited tribute was read as part of the Memorial Service for George and Carolyn Currey on September 16, 2023, at the United Methodist Church in Madison. This is the full text of Sarah's tribute: I wish that I could be there to share my feelings of deepest gratitude and appreciation for Mrs. Carolyn Currey, a remarkable person who has touched our lives in countless ways. I have witnessed acts of kindness and love that have left an everlasting impact on my heart as an adult. Words can hardly do justice to describe the warmth and admiration that radiate whenever I think of her. Please allow me to share these precious moments and memories with you today. Mrs. Carolyn Currey was not only instrumental in helping with our family as we first arrived in America, but she was also there for me throughout the years as I grew from a young girl to a young adult. She was there extending a helping hand to my family and me. One of the first memories that truly stands out in my mind is the day we arrived in a new country, unfamiliar and daunting. Mrs. Currey and other members of the United Methodist Church in Madison were at the airport picking up our family on that cold winter day. I remember that day at the airport when she smiled and nodded her head as she hugged me in her welcoming arms to let me know that I was safe now. Through her kindness, she demonstrated that sometimes, all we need is a helping hand to navigate the challenges of life. My new life in America. I will always remember the beautiful memories of her coming to Lucy D. after school as she hugged me and took me in her car to go to my medical appointments. I still remember the smell of her perfume, Magie Noire by Lancome, as I sat with her in the front seat. I felt loved and safe and secure with her sitting next to me at those medical appointments. When I was 14 years old, she found out I needed braces, and she made an appointment with the orthodontist and took me to the appointment. She explained to the orthodontist my family history and how we got to America and our accomplishments. I would get a lump in my throat and want to cry every time she tells people these stories about me and my family. Inside I felt that I am able to be successful in this life in America because of her selfless love for me and my family. She recognized the importance of fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion. I always felt her warm genuine love in all that she did for me. She always made me feel that I was a special part of her family too. Our first summer in America, she took our entire family to her home down the shore. She took us to the beach, and Mr. Currey took our family out on the boat. He even let us kids "drive" his boat by placing our hands on the helm and helping us steer the boat. During my winter break in my sophomore year at Rutgers, she found out I had to work and could not go to celebrate the holidays with my family because they were visiting friends in Connecticut. Being a thoughtful and loving person, she invited me to celebrate Christmas with her family. It meant the world to me that she thought of me and included me in a very special Christmas family gathering. I felt a sense of warmth and love as I sat there sharing a special meal with the whole family. I thought she was a fantastic cook when I ate beef Wellington there that day! Mrs. Currey recognized the significance of an education to be the key to unlocking a brighter future. She came by the house with newspaper clippings of my name being on the honor roll and told me she was so proud of me. She visited us often when we lived next to the church, and she also came to see us when we moved to Morristown. It was not convenient for her to drive to see us in Morristown, but she came to visit with us just as often. She met with me and my guidance counselor to discuss my future plans for college admission as I was the first person in my family to attend college in America. As I was sitting there in the guidance counselor's office listening to her discussing with my counselor the steps I needed to take to get ready for college, I was once again feeling an over whelming emotion of the love she displayed for me and my love for her. In my junior year in high school, I had a chance to honor her unwavering acts of kindness that were given to my family throughout the years. I entered a writing contest through Rutgers University which was to honor Women's History Month. The theme of the contest was a Woman of Worth. It was amazing that I was able to honor her with my essay because I was one of the winners of the contest, and she was recognized for her altruism. It was not the fact that I won the contest, it was the fact that she was publicly recognized for all the efforts she took to care for my family and me. After graduating from Rutgers, I was working as a pharmacist and imagine my surprise when I came across her prescriptions that I was processing to mail out. I sent her prescriptions with a little a note to say hello and to let her know I was doing well. Wow!! Imagine her surprise and joy when she received her medications. Talk about personal service! She called me after receiving her medications to express her pride in my work. I let her know that I was successful because of her love and attention in helping me all of these years. I am grateful I had a chance to see her last fall and spent time with her and Mr. Currey. I am forever grateful for the countless acts of kindness bestowed upon me, a young immigrant girl from Vietnam. Through her selflessness and acts of kindness, she has shown us the true meaning of compassion, generosity, and friendship. The impact she has made upon me for this journey as a Vietnamese refugee to being the person I am today is immeasurable. I strive to embody the same virtues she instilled within me, spreading love and kindness to people less fortunate. So, as I reflect on all the beautiful moments we have shared, I want to thank you from the depths of my heart to Mrs. Carolyn Currey, for her unwavering friendship, her unshakable support, and the love she has shown to me.

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Raymond Jr posted a condolence

Saturday, September 16, 2023

Our thoughts and prayers are with Sharon and Brian as they go on without their wonderful parents. Dolly sends her most heartfelt condolences and was planning to attend their memorial. She fell, broke her ankle, damaged her skin and caught covid in rehab. She wanted you all to know she was there in spirit. Dolly and Ray were very fond of George and Carolyn and made many vacation memories together as couples. One of my mother's favorite trips was here to Opryland in Tennessee. I used to love stopping by and getting to see your two Vislas and loving on them for a minute. Your parents were beautiful people and will be sorely missed as their memories guide us, and their legacy leads us on to help others. Peace to all

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Kevin Milas posted a condolence

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

The Five Carolyn Heck Curry’s I Knew I knew Carolyn over the course of almost 70 years. When I first met her, in my infancy, I was too young to remember the ocassion. Nonetheless I knew it occurred because of the pictures that I have of her as an elementary schoolgirl holding me as a baby. As a child Carolyn was beautiful as she remained throughout her life. Femininity and Carolyn seemed to go he and in hand throughout her life. For my next encounter with Carolyn jump forward to her teenage years when she visited my family in California. By then it was the late 1950s and Carolyn impressed me as Sandy straight out of Grease - but the Sandy when she was the Good Girl before joining the Pink Ladies. She seemed to epitomize the enthusiasm of the American youth culture that was in its infancy. After High School Carolyn trained to become a secretary when clearly she had the intelligence, assertiveness and drive to be an executive. As a life choice she took that intelligence, assertiveness to the leafy streets of suburban northern New Jersey. Carolyn applied those skills that would have made her a standout businesswoman to being a standout mother and community leader. When we visited Carolyn the young mother she always seemed to be doing a million things at once while pursued by a pack of barking dogs. She could prepare a gourmet meal and maintain a House Beautiful worthy home in the midst of a hurricane. And she never seemed to have a hair out of place despite this. Children, home and community became to focus of her life and she did it well. But children inevitably must leave the nest no matter of comfortable that nest may be. At this stage of her life Carolyn balanced returning to work with giving even more to her town, her church and her family. This was Carolyn the community Grand Dame. It is impossible to characterize Carolyn in only the few words available here. She was composed of equal parts beauty, kindness, love, wit, confidence and intelligence. No, I believe I am wrong here. Love was never an equal part with these other characteristics. Love - unlimited, freely given to all and never with any expectation of repayment - was the essence of Carolyn Heck Curry. Cousin, I will miss you.

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Laurie Hagerich uploaded photo(s)

Friday, July 14, 2023

A happy celebration of Laurie's 70th Birthday

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Laurie Hagerich uploaded photo(s)

Thursday, July 13, 2023

My dear sister Carolyn left us on July 4, one of her favorite holidays. I can remember her sitting with George on the corner of Ridgedale Avenue, watching the parade and later the fireworks that she could see from her home on Elm Street. She was always the leader throughout our childhood and teen years on Longview Avenue in Madison and I was lucky to have her leading the way. Later she became a strong leader in the Madison Methodist Church that our parents brought us to when we moved to Madison in 1950. As our friend Jeanne Eisele said after her passing, "Carolyn was our congregation's moral compass for many years. Her devotion to mission and compassion for those in need will always be her legacy." This was exemplified when she brought the Family Promise program to Morris County in 1989, helping to shelter homeless families, and this program is still an important mission outreach program at UMC Madison. Carolyn also worked tirelessly in bringing the Phan family, a Vietnamese refugee family of parents and 5 children, from Vietnam to New Jersey in 1980. She formed a lasting bond of love and friendship with the family. Sarah Phan, the oldest daughter, was able to visit Carolyn in September of 2022, and they had a happy reunion with Sarah showing how grateful her family was for all Carolyn had done for them. I am comforted by knowing that our lives were shared and many lasting memories were made and that Carolyn is now at peace with our Lord and with our parents and aunts and uncles who passed before her.

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Sister Gerry O'Brien posted a condolence

Thursday, July 13, 2023

I was deeply saddened to hear of Carolyn's passing on July 4th. So much of my early history with St. Hubert's involves Carolyn. She encouraged me to pursue my interest in animals and to be of help and service to them and animals in need. I still volunteer at St. Hubert's on Friday afternoons in the cattery which I thoroughly enjoy! I know Carolyn was Methodist but I plan on having a Mass offered for her in our chapel here at our Motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity. Carolyn was a Sister of Charity in many ways - a Methodist Sister of Charity! I think she would like that! Carolyn was a Valiant, Courageous, Loving Woman. She helped me in so many ways, I loved her deeply. With love and affection, Sr. Gerry

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Marianne E Disporto uploaded photo(s)

Thursday, July 13, 2023

My beautiful sister is leaving a huge hole in my life but I want to share something she wrote 20 years ago in a Christmas letter after our mother died. The words she wrote then seem so relevant and appropriate for the grief and loss I feel today. "I think that, if I've learned anything, it is that there is nothing so central to our lives as the people who share our lives with us. Natural intelligence or talents, wealth, good fortune, even health are all secondary to those who surround us and return the love we have for them. Each of you has made my life richer. Thank you" So very true Carolyn.

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Kevin Love posted a symbolic gesture

Friday, July 7, 2023

I’m sorry to hear about Carolyn’s passing, she had a wonderful life. “Death leaves a heartache that no one can heal, but love leaves a memory that no one can steal”

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The family of Carolyn H. Currey uploaded a photo

Thursday, July 6, 2023

Carolyn H. Currey

1943 - 2023

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