Obituary of Elizabeth Rem

Elizabeth Rem, beloved mother, sister, aunt, and friend. Today and all days going forward, we remember Beth with great love and the strength and adventurous spirit with which she greeted life. Her loss was unexpected and the family is shocked and deeply saddened. Beth, 69, moved with her family to Lake Hopatcong in 1962, a community she would come to call home for nearly 60 years. She was a fixture at the local Jefferson Market and could be counted on daily to get her scratch-offs and pumpkin spice coffee. Her happiest moments centered around the lake community – spending time at Bertrand's Island Amusement Park, watching the boats dock at Nolan's Point, and swimming at Lees beach and Castle Rock. Although she went on to earn a degree in Early Childhood Education, her fondest memories were of her time at Jefferson Township High School and the lifelong friends she made there. She helped form a school alumni association working to reconnect friends near and far – planning class reunions in an effort to bring graduates back together to rekindle friendships and remember good times. As a devoted single mother, Beth incredibly balanced many important priorities – from a full time job with Picatinny Federal Credit Union to volunteering as an EMT on the local rescue squad, all while making sure her daughter, Alexsandra, had everything she needed…and was never late for karate class. She taught Alexsandra a lifelong lesson about giving, not only to her friends and family, but to her community as well. Beth had an impact on so many lives. She was a complex and deeply private woman who didn't express her emotions through words, but rather through actions. She was, perhaps most of all, a loyal and dependable presence who could always be counted on when it mattered most. Beth took pride in being a leapling, and would tell you she was technically only 17 years old. Perhaps starting life in a special and unique way gave her license to live life boldly. She jumped out of airplanes and off cliffs and confronted her biggest challenge head-on when she was diagnosed with epilepsy in her early fifties. After unsuccessful trials of anti-seizure medications, Beth began researching treatment options and underwent several experimental brain surgeries. She was one of the first candidates to have a nuerostimulator implanted, and her greatest hope was to remain seizure-free long enough to reinstate her driver's license. As her family and friends mourn her loss, we all remain grateful for the community of friends and family that she left behind. Her immediate family would like to express a heartfelt thank-you to all of the friends who, through their selfless acts of kindness, treated her like family, helped her maintain her independence and allowed her to continue to enjoy the activities that she loved the most. Beth is survived by her daughter, Alexsandra, her son-in-law Sebastian, her brothers, Joseph (daughters Danielle and Kimberly) and John (wife Renee, daughters Kelsey and Amelia), her sister, Suzanne (husband Rob, children Alicia, Alan, and Joseph). Beth was predeceased by her younger brother, James (Jimmy). A celebration of Beth's life will be held on April 18, where friends and family can pay their respects. Please email RIPbethrem@gmail.com if you would like to attend and further details will be provided. The family plans to plant a garden in Beth's memory. While she would laugh at her lack of a green thumb, she could frequently be found picking her favorite lilacs along Espanong Road and liked to boast about the azaleas growing in her yard. Therefore, in lieu of sending traditional flowers, the family requests that flowering plants be sent to honor her memory. If there is another life, as Beth believed, it is a good bet she is there smiling, driving down the road past her memorial garden, windows down, wind in her hair, and singing along to the Moody Blues at full volume on the car radio. And we are there with her in spirit.