The Joanne Rajoppi I Knew

Bernardsville, NJ – My Mother, née Peggy O’Neil, was a county committeewoman in one of the smallest Union County Boroughs for half a century. Mom loved that role and often entrusted the care of the younger of her 10 children to her teenage daughter while she knocked on her neighbors’ doors. For reasons that became clear to me many years later, she adored Joanne Rajoppi. The level of respect and kindness with which Joanne treated Mom was the same she accorded to leaders of the State, County and Federal government. Despite the fact that Mom’s golf game never seemed to progress, Joanne regularly included her in her annual golf outings. As Mom slowed her involvement around age 90, I had the pleasure of seeing Clerk Rajoppi at many events. She never failed to inquire after Mom’s health and well-being. She was both gracious and graceful. The year after my Mother died, Joanne honored her by dedicating her next golf outing to Peggy O’Neil Schaffer. Thank you Joanne. Your thoughtfulness will never be forgotten.