Minerva Hope

Minerva V. Hope, 99, died peacefully in her Highland Park home on April 19, 2016. She was born in Barbados and emigrated to the United States in the 1950’s. She met her husband, Arthur Hope, in Brooklyn, NY, and was married for 52 years until his death in 2008.

She was a fiercely independent woman who took great pride in providing for herself and those around her. Her early years were not easy. Minverva started supporting herself at the age of 16 by walking miles to work as a domestic servant, selling snack foods in town, and eventually becoming a nanny. No matter what she did she maintained a strong sense of pride in her work and gave 100 percent to every task. That sense of pride and commitment allowed her to earn a Bachelor of Arts degreee in her fifties and learn how to drive in her sixties.

Despite her ambitious side, there was another side of her that was pure love and support for everyone who entered her circle. She knew everyone's name, their spouses, likes, interests, and habits and she reveled in all of it. She loved talking to people of every age and persuasion. She believed in giving love freely to everyone without reservation and due to her love she helped those around her shine. As she aged she never lost her curiosity or her love of people. It was that love for life and people that sustained her to the end of her days.

She is survived by her daughter, Ruby Hope, her granddaughter Chundzom Lopez, her son-in-law Rahim Harleston, and a host of loving caregivers, family and friends.

She will be missed.

A visitation and memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 23rd, at the Jaqui-Kuhn Funeral Home, 17 South Adelaide Avenue, Highland Park, N.J. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until Noon and the memorial service will be from Noon to 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in memory of Mineva Hope to the “Emergency Dept. Fund” R.W. Johnson University Hospital Foundation, 10 Plum Street, Suite 910, New Brunswick, N.J. 08901.

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