Marcell "Susan" Olsen of Mt. Bethel, PA, and formerly of Sparta, NJ, peacefully passed away on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, with loved ones by her side. Susan was born on March 4. 1942, to Matthew and Marcella (Eldred) Heffron. She grew up in Brooklyn, NY, with her two siblings, Eldred "Mike" and Kathleen "Katy." After graduating from Bay Ridge High School, she attended the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing where she became a registered nurse for the next 46 years; she worked at Newton Memorial Hospital and In-Home Health services of Sussex County. Susan dedicated her life to helping others, and her patients would always mention how compassionate and caring of a person she was to them.
Susan met her future husband Alf at a very early age while they both attended the Salvation Army in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Alf loved to play practical jokes, and Susan was always his favorite target. She had a wonderful sense of humor, and the two of them were inseparable. On January 30, 1965, Susan and Alf were married, and they lived the rest of their lives happily together. Those who knew Susan best would always attest to what a beautiful singing voice she had. Alf would ask Susan to go on long car rides, just so he could listen to her sing some of his favorite Christian gospel songs.
Susan was a devoted Christian, and she loved her Lord Jesus Christ with all of her heart. She read her Bible every morning, and then she would pray for her family and friends. She loved being a soldier in the Salvation Army, and she considered the Kearny Corps her second home. Susan adored her family very much, and some of her greatest joys were spending time with her grandchildren Aaron, Marissa, Jessica, Matthew, Leah, Sophie, Joshua and Jacob.
Susan is survived by her four children, Dr. Barbara Olsen, Thomas Olsen and his wife Abby, Daniel Olsen and his wife Sandra, Susan Silva and her husband Rich, her eight grandchildren, her brother Eldred "Mike" Heffron and his wife Mary, her sisters-in-law Thelma Rongved and Marie Olsen, and many nieces and nephews.
Services will be Thursday, September 28 at the Salvation Army Corps, 443 Chestnut St, Kearny, NJ 07032. Visitation hours will be from 12-2pm, coffee and refreshments from 2-3pm, the funeral service will commence from 3-5pm, with a catered buffet at the church immediately following the services.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Salvation Army Kearny Corps.
