Christina E. Strang-Wolf Obituary

Christina E. Strang-Wolf, age 57, of Dumont, passed peacefully with her husband and three children by her side on Sunday, October 31, 2021. Born in Paterson to Anthony and the late Maria (d. Jan. 2020) Mayer and raised in North Haledon, Christina graduated from Manchester Regional High School with the Class of 1981. Christina continued her education at Montclair State University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Speech Language Pathology with the Class of 1985.

Passionate about helping others and her studies, she received her Masters Degree in Speech and Language Pathology with Columbia University in New York City. Christina dedicated her life to helping others. She started her career as a Speech Pathologist at the Veterans Hospital in East Orange, worked for several local school systems, and spent the majority of her career at the Ridgewood Speech and Language Center in Midland Park before retiring in 2018.

She was always willing to lend a helping hand and offer her expertise whenever needed. Her numerous patients and their families are a testament to not only her expertise, but her tremendous heart. Christina met the love of her life, her best friend, Peter, in 1982, while she was working at the Foodtown and he the local liquor store in Haledon.

He spotted her, and said it was love at first sight. After a bit of convincing, she agreed to go on a date with him to see ET at the local movie theater. Quickly, the two were inseparable. On October 18, 1986, when she was just 22 years old, they married. A testament to love and devotion, Christina and Pete shared a beautiful marriage of 35 happy years.

Their children say that their love was the greatest guidepost to what a marriage should be. For their parents' example, they will forever be grateful. The light of her life and her greatest happiness were her three children. Christina and Pete welcomed twin boys, Maximilian and Nicholas, in 1988 and a baby girl, Alexia, soon after, in 1990.

Planting their roots in Hawthorne, they spent 30 years as pillars of the community, where they raised their family. Nothing meant more to Christina than spending quality time laughing and having fun with her family. Her sense of humor and quick wit will truly be missed. Always a figure of warmth for all who encountered her, Christina was quick to open her home and her heart to numerous neighborhood children and their families.

Their home in Hawthorne, dubbed "Freeport" by their children's friends, was a place of laughter and warmth and gathering. In fact, Christina found home in a variety of places, and loved to travel. She spent part of graduate school exploring Germany, a place that was near and dear to her heart. Likewise, she found great comfort in the Poconos, where she enjoyed curling up beside a fire with a good crossword puzzle, sunbathing beside Locust Lake, or taking in the natural splendor of the foliage.

Ever the traveler, Christina also made a home away from home in Singer Island, Florida, where she soaked up the sun and sea air. She was equally comfortable exploring as she was relaxing, she loved learning, and she continued to open those spaces, much like her heart, to her loved ones. Although it is impossible to capture the beauty of her spirit in words, her family cherished her for always putting her family first, for loving and caring for all who were lucky enough to meet her, and for being an authority on a myriad of different topics.

She was equally loved and well-respected. She was funny, brilliant, witty, and a great cook. Christina particularly shone during holidays, where she made everyone feel warm and loved; due to her giving nature, it is no surprise that she loved to play Santa. Christina was the loving wife of Peter Strang-Wolf; devoted mother of Maximilian Strang-Wolf and his fiancée Jordyn, Nicholas Strang-Wolf and his wife Shaina, and Alexia Strang-Wolf and her fiancé Danny; she was the cherished grandmother of Tristan Strang-Wolf; she is survived by her father Anthony Mayer and was predeceased by her mother Maria Mayer (d. January 2020).

Friends may visit with the family from 4-8 PM on Thursday, November 4, 2021 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne. Funeral services will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to St Jude Children's Research Hospital would be greatly appreciated.