Mary Anne Cole

Mary Anne Cole, 89, died peacefully at her home with her family by her side on February 24, 2024.

She was born in Colts Neck to William Doyle Haller and Edith Castner Haller and raised on a small farm in the Martinsville section of Bridgewater. She graduated from Bound Brook High in 1951 and the Drake College of Business in Plainfield. She met her husband, William H. Cole, while working at Research Cottrell. They married in 1960 and were lifelong residents of Bridgewater.

Mary Anne worked for the Bridgewater Police Department and the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders. She retired after thirty years as an executive secretary at Hoechst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals. Mary Anne was a consummate professional who advanced with evolving technology and was highly efficient and skilled.

Mary Anne considered her career achievements second to her role as a mother and grandmother. She was generous and known for stopping by to say hello every day. She visited daycare, went on vacation at the Jersey Shore with toddlers, and had many sleepovers at her house. She waited in line with her granddaughter Mary Elizabeth for several midnight releases of the Harry Potter books, and picked her granddaughter Lindsey up from kindergarten every day. She waited patiently at ballet lessons and cheered at soccer games.

She also valued community. Mr. and Mrs. Cole were charter members of the Bridgewater Methodist Church and the Bridgewater Senior Citizens. Mary Anne dabbled in crochet and gardening and enjoyed card games. One of her favorite ways to pass an afternoon was a walk around the neighborhood. Mary Anne loved animals, and her household had pampered cats and dogs. Her dogs Muffin, Maggie, and Roxie will greet her on the Rainbow Bridge. Mary Anne appreciated the independence of having her car; in retirement, her Subaru clocked up many miles just in Bridgewater. When unable to drive herself, “Driving Mrs. Mary” was a frequent activity with her caregiver.

She was loved by her family and diligently cared for by her caregiver Jodi Eccleston.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William H. Cole in 1998, and five of her six siblings: Helen, Lillian, John “Bud," Dottie, and Bill. Surviving are her loving sons, Glenn H. Cole BS-RN (Nora) and William D. Cole (Karen BSN), her three grand-children Connor, Mary Elizabeth, and Lindsey Cole, her brother Michael Q. Haller (Lindsay), nieces, nephews, and extended family.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 8:00 PM on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at Cusick Funeral Home, 80 Mountain Avenue, Somerville.

Instead of flowers, please spend quality time with your family.