| Holly E. Wetscher, 59, a resident of Westfield, NJ, died at her home on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2009, surrounded by her family. The cause of death was colon cancer. Holly was a staunch activist and advocate for accessibility and the rights of physically disabled individuals. She had cerebral palsy from birth and was acutely mindful of the needs of disabled individuals to have access to health care, public and private buildings and workplaces. Ms. Wetscher was a graduate of Union High School, Union, NJ.
She received her BS degree, cum laude, in special education from Kean University. She earned her master's degree in rehabilitation counseling with highest distinction from Hofstra University, NY. She began her career at the Queens United Cerebral Palsy Center as a rehabilitation counselor and case manager. She lived independently in an apartment in Jamaica Estates, NY, and later in her condominium in Bayside, NY. After 20 years she retired from the Queens Cerebral Center and moved back to Westfield, NJ, where she worked for the Gift of Life, an organization devoted to stem cell transplants. For the past 11 years she was employed by the Cerebral Palsy League, Cranford, NJ in the position of special projects coordinator, where she worked on advocacy initiatives, developed a newsletter for the agency, and generated fundraising projects and grants. The Union County Commission on the Status of Women named her a Woman of Excellence in 2000 in the area of health care. She was commended for her many years of advocacy for individuals with disabilities, both in her professional and personal life, and was recognized as a role model for severely-disabled young adults. Ms. Wetscher was chair of the board of trustees of the Alliance for the Disabled in Action, Independent Living Center, and a member of the governing board of New Jersey's Protection and Advocacy, Inc., and the board of trustees of Community Access Unlimited. Holly served also as a member of the Union County Advisory Board on the Disabled and on the American Disability Association in New York. As New Jersey chair of the Women with Disabilities Health Care Task Force, an initiative of the New Jersey Developmental Disabilities Council, Holly Wetscher organized the first New Jersey Conference entitled, Partners in Wellness: Working Together to Promote Equality in Health Care for Women with Disabilities. Until this week Ms. Wetscher was a member of the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities, having been appointed to this post by the governor of New Jersey and approved by the New Jersey Senate. Ms. Wetscher was an active member of Temple Emanu-El in Westfield, NJ, and a life member of Hadassah. Ms. Wetscher is survived by her mother, Beatrice Wetscher, of Westfield, NJ; her sister, Dr. Rosalind Dorlen and brother-in-law, David Dorlen of Mountainside, NJ; her nephew, Steven Dorlen of Hoboken, NJ; a niece, Dr. Allison Dorlen Pastor and nephew Dr. Jonathan Pastor of Fort Lee, NJ, and her two grand-nephews, Lucas and Joshua Pastor. She is also survived by her aunts, Gloria Rosenzweig of Rochester, NY, Barbara Gordon of Wayne, NJ, and numerous cousins. A bright light has been extinguished in the lives of her family, friends, and colleagues who loved, respected, and admired her as a person and honored her contribution to the well-being of disabled children and adults in New Jersey and throughout the country… …Holly has requested that donations in her name may be sent to the Cerebral Palsy League, Adult Services, Cranford, NJ. Published in Star-Ledger on October 24, 2009 |