Haydee L. Kulper

Haydee L. Kulper of Boynton Beach, Florida on October 4, 2012 in her 88th year. Beloved wife of the late Milton George Kulper, loving mother of Keith D. Kulper and his wife, Denise and the late George A. Kulper, cherished grandmother of Sloan Kulper and Kendall A. Kulper Toniatti and her husband David Toniatti, dear sister of Delly Colon and her husband, Armando, special friend, Patricia Brown, RN, who was like a daughter to Haydee and is like a sister to Keith and Denise. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered 10 AM Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at St. Matthew Catholic Church, Lake Worth, the Rev. Jacob Asiedu-Frempong celebrant. Inurnment will follow at South Florida National Cemetery, Lake Worth. Memorial gifts may be sent to St. Matthew Catholic Church, Lake Worth. Arrangements are with Tillman Funeral Home & Crematory, 2170 S. Military Trail, West Palm Beach. My mom, Haydee L Collazo-Kulper was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico on November 29, 1923. Like for many families during that era, times were tough, but they endured. She and her sister Iris were very close and they supported each other every day of their lives. When they were in school together in Puerto Rico both were excellent students and popular with their friends; Haydee went on to graduate first in her high school class. During WWII my Mom worked as a telex operator for the US Army Signal Corps at Fort Buchanan in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was there that she met the love of her life, my Dad, M. George Kulper. He was a Tech Sergeant with the Signal Corps at Fort Buchanan. As he was growing up, my Dad was called “Lefty” and during his professional career, George; my cousins knew him as Uncle Multzie. My Dad grew up in Newark and Irvington NJ; baseball was always a big part of his life and he was an excellent and enthusiastic player. Along with his brother, Dunny, they organized uniformed teams and played throughout their teens together; Uncle Dun was the catcher and “Lefty” played first base. Aunt Mary and Aunt Ruth rooted for them from the start. George fell in love with Haydee the moment he met her; she was smart, pretty and had a lively personality. On August 11, 1944, they were married at Haydee’s hometown church in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Their first apartment was in “Old San Juan” near where they worked together. Soon afterward, they travelled to New Jersey to start their lives together. My brother, Georgie was born on September 10, 1947; one of the first of the millions of “baby boomers” who would come to define America. The “greatest generation” had come home from war and they got busy with work and raising families. My Dad worked a full time job at night at the Pabst Brewery in Newark, NJ, and went to college full time on the “GI Bill” during the day at Upsala College in East Orange, NJ. He graduated in 2 ½ years and with the help and encouragement of my Mom, his brother and sisters he was offered a job at ITT as a sales engineer. As each day went by things started to get better for my parents and then on April 4, 1952 their second son, Keith, was born. My Mom liked to say that I have been lucky since the day I was born. Tragically, though, my brother Georgie, died at the age of five. Georgie has been with us ever since, though, and he is surely with us today as we gather in honor of our beloved Mother, Haydee. During the 1950s and 1960s our family led an idyllic life in peacetime northern New Jersey. I played baseball, rooted for the Yankees and idolized Mickey Mantle. My Dad and Mom were active in their community of Hanover Township and in their church, Notre Dame of Mt. Carmel in Cedar Knolls, NJ. My Mom became president of the local women’s club and supported many worthy causes. My Dad became increasingly successful as a sales executive in the data storage and computer businesses that were burgeoning during that time. My Mom became active in the Mothers Guild at Delbarton School in Morristown, NJ, the moment that I started there as a 7th grader in the fall of 1964; to this day she is remembered well by the Benedictine monks of St Mary’s Abbey Delbarton who knew her and taught me. She liked to say that her “Delbarton Years” were among the happiest in her entire lifetime. My Mom was outgoing and friendly and she had opinions that reflected on her ability to analyze and understand a situation in a thoughtful and intelligent manner. She was very bright and could do cross word puzzles faster than anyone I have ever known; she was a champ at Scrabble and could shoot “craps” with the best of them, too! She could discuss world events and presidential politics with great insight; we all admired that very much. She also enjoyed talking about her family and offering counsel; she often said she could have made a great lawyer and she was generous in every way. After I met my bride to be, Denise, my Mom would always tell me; “Denise is very good for you; I am very happy that you and she are together”. Later, when her grandchildren, Sloan and Kendall arrived, my Mom loved them---really loved them. Their pictures are everywhere throughout her home in Florida and they were constantly in her thoughts and prayers as they grew up. Last year, my Mom saw her granddaughter, Kendall married to David Toniatti; she was happy for them both and loved Dave like another grandson. Now after 22 years in Florida---where she and my Dad enjoyed retirement living peacefully in the Aberdeen community in Boynton Beach, FL -- she has rejoined my father, my brother, my aunt Iris, friends and family who went into the “white light” before her and were warmly welcomed by our loving savior, Jesus. I am sure that she is smiling now as she hears me …I certainly hope so! We will miss you, Mom... Thanks for all that you did and I am sure, will keep doing.