Elna F. Parke

Elna Parke ObituaryObituary published on Legacy.com by Cochran Funeral Home - Hackettstown on Mar. 5, 2026.Elna Parke, nee Frederickson, died at the age of 84 on March 3, 2026 at Heath Village, The Meadows, in Hackettstown, where she had resided for the prior three weeks. Elna grew up in Long Valley. She attended Hackettstown High School, where she met her husband, Charles Parke of Allamuchy. They married in 1959 and enjoyed 66 years of marriage. They initially lived in Hackettstown before moving to Schooley's Mountain in 1979. They enjoyed staying at the vacation home they built on Lake Damariscotta in Jefferson, Maine for many years.Elna was an avid reader, who liked participating in book clubs before dementia took away that joy. She was a long-time faithful member of Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Hackettstown, where she had taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School when her children were small. She also served on the Church Council. Elna was a dedicated member of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League.Elna was an outstanding seamstress, a gift handed down from her mother, and she made several quilts and most of her young daughters' dresses. After her children grew up, she continued to sew for needy children in Appalachia. Elna belonged to a sewing circle in Hackettstown for a number of years.Elna was a graduate of Centenary College, with a Library of Science degree. She worked at the Peapack-Gladstone Bank for 20 years, where she enjoyed Employee of the Month status more than once. Some of her volunteer activities included collecting money on Route 46 for the construction of Hackettstown Community Hospital, working at the Recycling Center, and serving as the long-time secretary for the German Valley Rural Cemetery in Bartley.Elna was named after her Norwegian grandmother, Elna Carlson Fredericksen. She cherished her Norwegian heritage, and their daughters could think of no sweeter gift for their parents' 50 th anniversary than to send them on a trip along the beautiful coast of Norway aboard the Queen Mary 2.Elna was the daughter of Frederick and Dorothea Frederickson of Long Valley. She was pre-deceased by her beloved sister Marian Mulligan. She is survived by three daughters: Molly (and Charles Petty) of Blairstown, Melissa (and David Mauro) of Flanders, and Kathryn (and James Bryant) of Weatherford, TX; five grand-children and four great-grandchildren.A viewing will be held on Friday, March 6 th from 2-4PM, at Cochran Funeral Home and the funeral will be held on Saturday, March 7 th at 11AM at Gethsemane Lutheran Church. Burial will be at the German Valley Rural Cemetery in Bartley.To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.