DOVER — Shirley A. Jerome (Harper) passed away on December 7, 2024. She was born in 1939 in Long Branch, New Jersey, to Anna Marie Harper and Bill Harper. She moved to Dover at the age of five, attended Dover Public Schools, and graduated from Dover High School in 1957. Shirley went on to graduate from Paterson Teachers College in 1961.
Shirley worked for the Dover Board of Education for 51 years, retiring in 2015. She served the district as a Classroom Teacher, Basic Skills Math Instructor, and District Test Coordinator for grades 1-8. Most of her career was spent at Academy Street School as a classroom teacher.
Shirley was predeceased by her husband, Samuel M. Jerome; her mother, Anna Marie Harper; her father, William M. Harper; and her sister, Mildred Claudeen Orlandi. She is survived by her two sons, Sam M. Jerome and Steve M. Jerome; her sister, Mary J. Rodriguez; her stepdaughter, Marlene Halcott; several nephews and nieces; and many wonderful and caring friends.
Shirley was a member of the New Jersey Retired Education Association, the Morris County Education Association, and the Boost Your Mind Group of Long Valley, NJ.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, December 12, 2024, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Tuttle Funeral Home in Randolph (Tuttlefh.com). A Funeral Service will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 13, 2024, at the funeral home, followed by interment at Restland Memorial Park in East Hanover.
