Obituary of Therese Erker

Therese (Vogrin) Erker, age 92, of Hawley died Wednesday, January 15, 2025. She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Ferdinand Erker, in 2020. Born January 19, 1932 in the Gottschee region of present-day Slovenia, Resi (as she was known to her family and many of her friends) was the daughter of the late John and Josefa (Maurin) Vogrin. She immigrated to the United States with her family in 1949 and initially settled in Ridgewood, Queens, New York, where she met and married her husband, Ferdinand, who was also born in Gottschee. Resi helped her husband establish his business, Erker's Jewelry, in Glendale, Queens, New York, the neighborhood where they lived for four decades. Although Resi also worked as a beautician in nearby Forest Hills during the 1960s, she soon joined Erker's Jewelry full-time, working side-by-side with her husband and helping the business thrive for over 40 years. Having maintained a second home in Hawley since 1969, Resi and her husband became permanent residents in 1995. A natural cook and accomplished baker, Resi loved to entertain at her home. She likewise enjoyed traveling in the U.S. and abroad with her family and was an avid skier. In her later years, tending to the flowers and wildlife at her home in Hawley brought her great pleasure, especially the birds and chipmunks congregating on her porch, which were an endless source of amusement. She missed her husband tremendously after his passing in 2020, but nevertheless continued to embrace life and maintain her sunny disposition. Resi is survived by her son, Ferdinand J. Erker, and son-in-law, Cory Gnazzo, of New York City; by her sister, Sophie Meditz, and her sister-in-law, Galina Vogrin, both of Hawley; by her sister-in-law, Helga Jaklitsch, and her husband, Joseph, of Villach, Austria; and by eleven nieces and nephews in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Austria. She was preceded in death by her brother, John Vogrin, of Hawley. A funeral mass will be held on a date to be announced in the Spring at BVM Queen Of Peace Roman Catholic Church, 314 Chestnut Ave, Hawley, by Rev. Richard W. Beck, Pastor, to be followed immediately thereafter by a burial in B.V.M. Queen of Peace Cemetery.