Ethel M. Morgan of Cinnaminson, formally of Riverside, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on Friday, August 31, 2012 at Lourdes Medical Center in Willingboro. She was 92.rnrn Born November 18, 1919 in Riverside, N.J., Ethel was the daughter of the late William and Ethel Hopps Sr. She was the sister of the late William Hopps, Jr., the late Elwood Hopps, the late Frank Hopps Sr. and the late Emma Marshall.rnrn Just as the brook would lose it’s songs if you removed the rocks, much of Ethel’s ways came from that which she needed to surpass. Despite being stricken with polio at age 8 her resolve knew no bounds. It may have taken a year for her to learn to walk again, but it gave her the determination to try anything. By her teen years she was singing in high school musicals, the Riverside High School Glee Club, the New Jersey Allstate High School Orchestra and Chorus and she even wrote the lyrics for the class song for the Riverside High School graduating class of 1938. She also played guitar and piano and was a member of the high school orchestra where she played violin. Being gifted with a beautiful voice she sang in the First Moravian Church choir for over 50 years, the RCA Victor Choral Society and at weddings and other social events. Even at the age of 70 she sang on the stage of The Three Little Bakers. She also enjoyed swimming, bicycling and traveling with her friends and even in her senior years she could be found bowling, playing pool, crafting, playing her organ and watching sports especially her Eagles and the Philly’s.rnrn As a young woman Ethel was asked by a friend to write a young soldier named Howard who was serving during WWII. Although he lived in Delanco and she lived in Riverside the two had never met. It was enough of an introduction for the two to start their lives together when he returned. Before his passing in 1977 they were married for 30 years and during this time their lives were blessed with three children: Patricia Rudzinski (Henry) of Cinnaminson, David Morgan (Jacqueline) of Salem, PA and Nancy Morgan of Riverside. Ethel is also survived by her grandchildren: Stephen Rudzinski, Sr. (Sandra) of Riverside and Kristopher Rudzinski (Loretta) of Plymouth Meeting, PA, her great-grandchildren: Tabatha, Stephen Jr., Juliana, Anthony and Noah as well as by her many nieces and nephews.rnrn Come celebrate Ethel’s 92 musically inspired years Thursday from 6PM to 8PM and Friday from 10AM at the Sweeney Funeral Home, 337 Bridgeboro St., Riverside, where the service will be at 11AM. Internment Lakeview Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers a memorial gift may be made to the First Moravian Church of Riverside for the Ethel Morgan Memorial Fund, 228 E. Washington St., P.O. Box 214, Riverside, N.J. 08075.rn
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We used to be neighbors of Miss Ethel and she was the sweetest lady. She always had treats for my little ones and they would help her with little chores. My sympathies go out to the Morgan family. You were blessed to have such a wonderful lady in your lives.