Klara Katherina Christine Crocco

It is with great sadness that the family of Klara Crocco, of
Westfield, announces her passing on Saturday,
February 13, 2021, with her children by her side.
Klara did have COVID-19 last year, but surprisingly
despite her COPD was able to recover from the disease.
She was born on April 8, 1938, in Köhlen (Geestland), Germany to
Klara (Kornahrens) and Klaus Jürgens. At the age of 18,
Klara decided that she wanted to venture to the United
States. She left her family, her farm and bravely
boarded the M/S Berlin and sailed with a friend to start a
new life in America. Her first stop was Cranford. There
she began exploring, learning a new language and new
culture.
In 1959 she married William "Bill" Crocco. They settled in
his hometown of Westfield where they raised their family
in his family home.
She proudly became a naturalized US Citizen in 1970 and
never missed voting in an election - particularly in
November! She was looking forward to the Biden
inauguration as she was not a fan of Donald Trump.
Klara worked at Petal Products in Westfield and the
hearing aid division of Siemens in Piscataway. She was
a member of the Deutscher Club in Clark for many years,
and proudly walked in the Steuben Day Parde in NYC.

Her interests included gardening, birdwatching,
handicrafts and dancing.
She enjoyed baking & cooking, and although she had
some favorite German recipes, her pot roast and
sausage & meatballs were everyone's favorites. Klara
loved to travel - Jersey shore, Cape Cod, Colorado and
Florida as well trips to the casinos. However, nothing
compared to the times she got to visit her family in
Germany.
Klara was adventurous - camping in Shenandoah,
country line dancing, white water rafting, and even day
trading. She was always willing to try new things - except
swimming!
Omi, as her grandchildren called her, looked forward to
any time she could spend with them, and would pretty
much go anywhere and do anything her grandchildren
asked. She invented games like heads or tails to entertain
them for hours. They had great times at the beach, going
to plays, playing cards, traveling or just being together.
She was very kind, generous, had a big heart and was
loved by all who knew her. Klara was independent,
strong, determined, resilient, had a great sense of humor
and admittedly was a little bit stubborn.
She will be missed by her children - daughter: Arleen & (Dave)
McGlade, Son:Tom; grandchildren - Jasmine, Grace, (Chris);
one great-grandchild - Hudson; sisters - Kathe Marie,
Annegret, Henny as well as other family members and
friends. Klara was predeceased by her parents, husband
William in 1993 and brother Heine.
Many sacrifices made and challenges were
overcome. Klara always spoke up and followed her own
path - truly inspirational life lessons learned. We are all
grateful for her choices, bravery and footsteps; without
those we would not be here or have the life we have
today.
In lieu of flowers, Memorial Donations may be made in
Klara Croccoʼs name to: The Friends of Mindowaskin
Park, The Friends of Mindowaskin, Inc.
P.O. Box 87, Westfield, NJ 07091
The family wishes to send a special thank you to the staff
at Brighton Gardens of Mountainside for their care,
compassion and kindness.
A private service will be held at the familyʼs request.
For additional information or to express condolences,
please visit:www.grayfuneralhomes.com
Arrangements by Gray Funeral Home, Westfield.