Obituary of Virginia P. Zipf

Virginia P. Zipf (nee Perry), age 95, of Toms River, NJ, passed away on Friday, November 24, 2023, in Berkeley Heights, NJ. Born on September 5, 1928, in Teaneck, NJ, she was the daughter of the late William Edward Perry and Florence Cecelia Breen.

She grew up in Bergen County, was a 1946 graduate of Holy Trinity High School in Hackensack and later worked for 10 years as an Engineering Librarian at Bendix Aviation. She was married for 58 years to the late Howard S. Zipf, Jr. They lived in Cranford for 21 years, moving to Berkeley Heights in 1984. They spent their retirement years in Toms River until his death in 2019. She remained in their home for the rest of her life.

She had an independent spirit and was very strong willed. Many times as a young, single woman she could be found driving her MG-A with the top down, headed toward one adventure or another.

She loved the outdoors; skiing in the winter and camping in the summer. In her younger years she drove to Aspen, CO with friends and regularly hiked up Tuckerman's Ravine for skiing weekends in New Hampshire. She was active in the Ski Club of New Jersey participating in intra-club slalom races until she met her husband at a NY state ski area and joined him as a member of the Watchung Amateur Ski Club.  They, along with their two sons, Eric and Perry and other friends and families, spent winter weekends at Belleayre Mountain in the Southern Catskill Mountains. 

Summertime found her and the family camping on the islands of Lake George, NY in the Adirondack Mountains where she enjoyed sitting around the campfire with her friends of many years, swimming and sitting on the rocks, lakeside. 

She had an enduring love of the Jersey Shore. She and her girlfriends would regularly rent a summer house on the beach. Later, she felt there was nothing better than spending time with her sister, Teresa and her family at Long Beach Island.  During her later years she enjoyed sitting at the Island Heights Pavilion Gazebo on the Toms River, watching the boats while eating lunch and talking to her husband or her extended family.

She was a parishioner for many years at St. Michael's in Cranford and Church of the Little Flower in Berkeley Heights. Eventually becoming a regular communicant at St. Luke Roman Catholic Church in Toms River.

Virginia is predeceased by her beloved husband, her parents, her sister, Teresa Ann Appert and brother, Paul A. Perry. She survived by her sons, Eric and his wife Alexa of Annapolis, MD and Perry of Summit and her grandchildren, William and Hannah.  She leaves behind beloved nieces and nephews, many, many friends and "honorary" children and grandchildren who have all been touched, inspired and enriched through knowing her. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to an organization very special to her, Mission Santa Maria. The mission provides shelter and high quality education to abused and impoverished children in Ecuador.  Mission Santa Maria is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit. Information is available at http://www.missionsantamaria.com"

Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Monday, December 18^th at 10:00 AM at St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church, located at 250 Bebout Avenue, Stirling NJ 07980. Inurnment will be held privately at a later date. To send condolences to the family, please visit www.martinfh.com.