Jean Tauber, one of Elberon’s oldest residents, passed away on August 13, 2023. Her husband, Arthur, predeceased her by 7 months, passing away in January 2023. They were married for 66 years and had lived at 927 Woodgate Avenue since 1957.

Surviving Jean are her children Mark, Michele, and Alan, Alan’s wife Andrea Weiss, and their children Ilan and Rebecca. Also grieving Jean’s loss are her sister-in-law Selma Shubin, Selma’s son Brian, daughter and son-in-law Michele and Jack Kaplan, and their sons Jason and Brandon.

Jean grew up during the hard times of the Depression. Her family’s financial circumstances were worsened by the early death of her father. With the help of her elder Brother, Irv, and sister, Anne, the family survived, and Jean was able to complete high school.

After high school, Jean joined a generation of young women who worked as operators at the telephone company. Jean remembered this period with relish, as well as the many friends she made and the spirited hijinks they got up to. In 1961, Jean retired from “Ma Bell” to raise her three children and devote herself to community service as Cub Scout Den Mother, Brownie Troop Leader, and Elberon School PTA President.

Jean returned to work in 1970, first as a Teacher’s Aide at Elberon School. She then moved to become a caseworker at the Monmouth County Welfare Board, and finally joined Fort Monmouth’s Communications Electronics Command as a security and administrative clerk. When a position for Department store operator opened at Abraham & Strauss (now Macy’s), Jean could not resist returning to a part-time job that reminded her of the happy years at Ma Bell. Jean never missed family celebrations from high school plays to bar mitzvahs, weddings, and reunions — often at the home of her sister- and brother-in-law Selma and Murray Shubin.

Fully retired in 1996, Jean and her husband Arthur traveled the world — Japan, Israel, Turkey, and all of Western Europe. In the U.S., they toured the national parks and the many cities where Arthur served on the board of the yearly Junior Science Symposium. Throughout these years, Jean and Arthur also frequently attended local concerts and art events as well as New York city’s many cultural venues from museums to Broadway shows. And Jean never lost opportunities to pursue her favorite pastime — Mah Jongg. She made lasting friendships with three generations of “Mah Jongg Ladies” right up to the COVID restrictions.

In her later years, Jean took joy in seeing the achievements of her grandchildren, Rebecca, and Ilan, in academics, sports, and professional work. Jean loved traveling to see her daughter Michele in stage performances and visited her son Mark in Vienna during his tour there with the Foreign Service. As Alan and Andrea’s family grew, family get-togethers moved to Philadelphia where Jean had many reasons to kvell, among which were Alan’s work as a prominent attorney, and Andrea’s elevation to provost of Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion.

Everyone who knew Jean remembers her zany sense of humor and comedic storytelling. Many colleagues at work also recalled that Jean was a sympathetic listener. When they needed a dose of friendly encouragement, they remembered Jean’s philosophy of life, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

Jean’s memorial service will take place at Woolley-Boglioli Funeral Home, 10 Morrell Street, Long Branch, New Jersey on Wednesday, August 16 at 2:00pm. The memorial service will also be livestreamed at woolleyboglioli.com  Following the memorial service there will be a graveside service at Cemetery Chesed Shel Ames, 2235 West Bangs Avenue, Neptune Township, New Jersey.  Jean’s family will sit shiva on Wednesday evening at 7pm at their home.