Marie Jacqueline Vander Zwan

Marie Jacqueline Vander Zwan

Lifelong Belleville Resident

Beloved Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother, 96

Mrs. Marie Jacqueline (nee Capanear) Vander Zwan, 96, of Belleville, NJ, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 8, 2019 surrounded by her loving family at Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville. Visitation will be at the Biondi Funeral Home of Nutley, 540 Franklin Avenue on Monday, March 11 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  Relatives and friends are invited to attend a funeral mass on Tuesday, March 12 at Holy Family Church, 28 Brookline Avenue, Nutley, at 10:30 a.m.  The entombment will be at Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Upper Montclair.  

Marie was born in Newark, NJ and resided much of her life in Belleville, NJ. Raised during the Great Depression, she grew up to become a woman of unparalleled generosity and limitless energy, traits that served her well during her over thirty years of service as a volunteer at Clara Maass Medical Center, eight of those as president of the Clara Maass Auxiliary.  During that time she initiated the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, an annual fundraising event hosted by the Auxiliary that has raised over $100,000 since 1992.  In 2018 for her years of volunteerism, Marie received the prestigious New Jersey Governor’s Jefferson Award, an honor bestowed on those New Jerseyans who embody the spirit of civic engagement.  

Marie married her Dutch sailor, Cornelis Vander Zwan on September 3, 1944 after meeting him at the Philadelphia Naval Base in July of that same year. At the end of the war, this intrepid young bride traveled to San Francisco, boarded a ship that would take her across the Pacific to Sydney, Australia.  From there she traveled by train clear across the continent to Perth where she reunited with Cornelis and made their home for the next two years. During the course of their long and loving marriage, they would step foot on five continents and fly over every ocean.

Marie is remembered as a wonderful homemaker, amazing chef and an avid reader. When not doing that she was active in the Parent Teacher Association and served as PTA president at No. 7 School in Belleville as well as PTA president of St Anthony’s School in Belleville.

Marie is survived by her three loving children Michael Vander Zwan, Joan Vander Zwan and Pamela Vander Zwan-Zawisha, her daughters-in-law Marilyn Harris, Nancy Vander Zwan and Ronni Sanchez, grandchildren Christine, Jeffrey, Jillian, Alex and Danny, great-grandchildren Amanda, Emily and Alexa and many loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. 

Marie was predeceased by her beloved husband Cornelis Vander Zwan, her parents Michael and Philomena (nee Sivolella) Capanear and both brothers Michael Capanear Jr. and Donald Capanear and also her son-in-law Paul Zawisha.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Clara Maass Medical Center Foundation, One Clara Maass Drive, Belleville, NJ. 07109, www.claragiving.org.

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