Cooper Mill Tour Guide, Great Grandmother Dies at 90

For more than 40 years, Marie Antoinette Ruzicka embraced Chester to the fullest.

The former Cooper Mill Docent and oldest employee of the New Jersey Park Services died at the age of 90, according to her obituary.

Ruzicka moved to Chester in 1972 and became active in the community as a member of the Chester Historical Society and at Grace Bible Chapel. She was honored by the New Jersey Legislature as a Distinguished Woman for her dedication and contributions to the political process in the state.

Ruzicka was also a polling location volunteer for more than 30 years. And for 27 consecutive years, Ruzicka was a staple in Mendham’s Brookside Fourth of July Parade.

She is survived by a daughter, three siblings, five grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.

A celebration of Ruzicka’s life will be held Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. at William J. Leber Funeral Home on Furnace Road in Chester.

Memorial donations can be made to the Chester Historical Society, P.O. Box 376, Chester, New Jersey, 07930, or Grace Bible Chapel, P.O. Box 48, Chester, NJ 07930.