Veronica Ann Gearhart

Veronica Ann Mahoney Gearhart, 76, our bright light, passed from this world to the next on January 24, 2021, in Lake Worth, Florida.  We are sure there is a party in heaven with family and friends, old and new.  Everyone agrees she never met a stranger. She touched so many lives, young and old, and her sunny outlook brought joy to everyone she encountered.  She taught us to live every day to the fullest, and that true happiness is found when we make someone else’s day brighter.

Ronnie was born in Jersey City and moved to Ridgefield Park, NJ at an early age with her parents, Mary and Joseph, her brother JoJo and big sister Janice.  She attended St. Francis Elementary School and RPHS. After receiving her Associate's degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University, she completed her Bachelor of Science at Marymount College and went on to graduate from Fairleigh Dickinson with a Master's degree in Business Administration.

Ronnie’s career path took many interesting twists and turns, including various positions with GPU, Atlantic Electric, Sand Dollar Realty, and Superior Mortgage.  She is remembered by all her coworkers as the chief party organizer and head encourager. 

Ronnie and her husband Paul spent many happy years living on the lagoon in Manahawkin, NJ. Ronnie was always happiest on the beach in nearby Long Beach Island where many of her family and friends will gather in her memory.  After Superstorm Sandy, Ronnie decamped for warmer weather and found a wonderful community of friends and a new love, Lee, in Lake Worth, Florida, returning to LBI for the summer months. The love and support of her friends was a lifeline for Ronnie in the last years of her life. So many of them expressed their love for Ronnie, and everyone had a story to tell of her generosity, her infectious positive attitude, and how she was ready for any adventure.

Ronnie will also be greatly missed by her extended family. She loved and enjoyed all her time spent with family at LBI each July, holidays in Ridgefield Park and Wyckoff, and our time with her in Lake Worth. She will never be forgotten by her cousin Steve (Jane) Pello, her nieces Michele (Brian) Hubert, and Maureen (Dave) Anderson, her nephew Michael (Robyn) Mahoney, great nephews Joshua, Kieran, and Aidan, great nieces Curran (JW), Casey (Toby), Meghan (Alex), Shannon (Marek), Rowan, and great grandniece Roxy. 

We invite you to send a contribution to your favorite charity in her memory, RPHS Alumni Scholarship Foundation (501c3), or the St. Francis Breadline. Share a smile with someone and raise a glass when you think of her.

Ridgefield Park Jr Sr High School Alumni Foundation, 1 Ozzie Nelson Drive, Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660.

 https://stfrancisbreadline.org/