Eleanor Jane Verheeck

Eleanor “Ellie” J. Verheeck, age 76, passed away on Thursday, January 27, 2022, in Gulfport.

Ellie was born on September 6, 1946, in Passaic, NJ.  When she was young, her family moved to Hackensack, NJ, where she graduated high school.  She met her future husband, Walter Verheeck through friends and were married on February 10, 1968. They would eventually move to Fair Lawn, NJ, where they would live and raise a family for over 25 years before moving to Ocean Springs, MS.

Ellie worked on and off in data entry, but her pride and joy was being a stay-at-home mother and caring for her family. She enjoyed many forms of crafting, and many family and friends have pieces of her work in their homes.  Cooking was another way she would share her love. Many people have fond memories of meals she cooked, treats she baked, or parties she prepared. Her kind heart and beautiful smile will be remembered by many.

Ellie was the widowed, beloved wife of 53 years to Walter Verheeck. She is preceded in death by her parents, Fredrick and Eleanor Thum; and her older sister Kathleen Tully.

Ellie is survived by her children, Kimberly Verheeck (Angie), Tracie Clark (Grant), and Thomas Verheeck (Julie); her siblings, Patricia Thomas and Nancy Hawkins; her eight grandchildren, Josephine (T.J.), Sarah, Michael, Ian, Matthew, Nicholas, Madeline, and Payton; and four great-grandchildren, Kolton, Decklin, Sebastian, and Asher.

No services will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to be made in her memory to the Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org.

Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Eleanor “Ellie” J. Verheeck.