Obituaries

In Memoriam: Former Longtime Fair Havenite, Lucia Weber Ham, 102

Former longtime Fair Haven resident, Lucia Weber Ham, more recently of Red Bank, passed away peacefully on Sunday, Sept. 13, at the Care One Assisted Living Facility in Holmdel, She was 102.

“She lived for many years in Fair Haven, New Jersey where she, along with her husband, raised their family of five children, Kathy, Jim, Richy, Steve and Michael …

“Lucia was an avid gardener and enjoyed spending her summers on the beach at the Jersey Shore and traveling the country with her husband Jim in their RV, the Big Brown Bear. Lucia was also the cook on the family’s numerous summer camping trips and the first mate on our boating adventures on the Navesink River. She also enjoyed playing golf and tennis and spending her winters at their condo in Fort Myers, FL. In addition, Lucia was a parishioner at the Church of the Nativity in Fair Haven and Saint Cecelia in Fort Myers, FL …”

Loved ones of Lucia Weber Ham in her obituary

Born on Feb. 21, 1924, in East Orange, to Dr. Maximillian and Lucia Weber, she was the youngest of three children. Her father was a consulting chemist, so her childhood was spent initially in Florida and Georgia and then New Jersey as her family eventually settled in Maplewood. Lucia graduated from Columbia High School in South Orange, New Jersey and attended Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia before her marriage to her husband Jim during World War II. She and her family then settled in Fair Haven.

“Our mother has many wonderful memories of her teenage years at Columbia High School where she led a very active social life. This brings us to lovely story of how she fell in love with the love of her life, her husband Jim. Our dad went to high school at nearby Seton Hall Prep in West Orange. As a rule, Columbia gals didn’t date the guys from Seton Hall. So, she turned down our father’s requests for a date when they were both in neighboring high schools. During World War II, our father was a Captain in the US Army Air Force piloting B-29 bombers and was home on leave. It was a quiet leave. His mother, Nana (Frances Esson Ham), a bit of a matchmaker, suggested that he ask that lovely Catholic girl from Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Lucia Weber, out on a date. He demurred based on his high school track record with her. Nana persisted, Jim relented, Lucia said yes! A whirlwind, war-time romance ensued and they were married on July 16th, 1945, just before the end of the war. A wonderful 69-year marriage ensued.”

Children of Lucia Weber Ham in her obituary

Lucia was predeceased by: her parents, Max and Lucia Weber; her husband, James; her brother, Max, and sister Annie; her sons, Richard and Michael; and her son-in-law, Dr. Gerard Gadbois.

She is survived by: her daughter, Kathleen, of Chatham, MA; sons, James, and his wife, Diane, of Brielle, and Stephen and :his wife, Elisa, of Fair Haven; 10 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements, directed by John E. Day Funeral Home, of Red Bank, will be private, including a mass of christian burial to be held at St. James Church in Red Bank. Interment will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Middletown. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent in Lucia’s memory to Christian Brothers Academy, 810 Newman Springs Rd., Lincroft, NJ 07738.

— Edited obituary prepared by family via John E. Day Funeral Home