Obituary of Paula Z. Heck

Paula Zarrella Heck Scotch Plains, NJ - Paula Zarrella Heck, born December 18, 1947 in Tell City, Indiana; died on November 28, 2009 at Overlook Hospital with her family by her side. Relatives and Friends are invited to a visitation on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 from 2 - 4 PM and 7-9 PM at McCriskin-Gustafson Home for Funerals, 2425 Plainfield Avenue, South Plainfield, NJ 07080. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 10:00 AM at St. Bernard of Clairvaux & St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, 368 Sumner Avenue, Plainfield, NJ 07062. Her lifelong love of books and reading led her to obtain a Masters Degree in Library Sciences from Rutgers University. She had a long and distinguished career at Merck Pharmaceuticals where she worked for 32 years, most recently retired as the Vice President of Knowledge Management. After her retirement, she was active in the Westfield Service League, Meals on Wheels, and was a generous contributor to various other charitable organizations Most importantly, her life was defined by her loving family and friends with whom she shared her kind heart, quick humor and abundant generosity. She was preceded in death by her parents, Mary Alice Lautner Zarrella, and Joseph Francis Zarrella, both lifelong residents of Tell City, Indiana. She is survived by her husband, James V. Heck of 37 years, one son, James Joseph Heck (Sarah), 3 sisters, Catherine Zoercher (Philip), Mary Alice Thurmond, Mary Jo Burke (Al) and one grandchild, Samantha Marie Heck and numerous other nieces, nephews and family. In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity. www. rvhabitat.org