‘Great Teacher’: Former East Brunswick Educator Mourned

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Kay "Elaine" Sicknick, a former teacher at East Brunswick Schools and Deacon at Trinity Presbyterian Church died on Nov. 21. She was 85.

Sicknick was a longtime resident of South River and graduated from South River High School in 1954. She was a graduate of Trenton State College (now TCNJ), before she began her teaching career in East Brunswick schools, according to her obituary published on Brunswick Memorial Funeral Home page.

Former students and colleagues paid tribute to Sicknick, calling her “wonderful,” “warm” and a “great teacher.”

Albert B Zusman former principal of Memorial Elementary School said he worked with Sicknick for 12 years. She was a Kindergarten teacher.

“She was truly the individual who set the tone for hundreds of students as they began their educational experience. Her classroom was a warm inviting space where children felt safe and welcomed. Her interactions with all members of the school community were always positive and in the best interests of her kids,” Zusman wrote on the Brunswick Memorial Funeral Home page.

Sicknick was also an active member of the Trinity Presbyterian Church in East Brunswick where she served as a Deacon, Elder, Sunday School teacher, and Girl Scout leader.

She was known for her “spirited conversation and often late and unique gifts at holidays and celebratory life events,” according to her obituary.

Visiting hours for family and friends will be on Friday, Dec. 3, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Brunswick Memorial Funeral Home, Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.

Services for Sicknick will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4 at Trinity Presbyterian Church followed by a private burial with immediate family at Washington Monumental Cemetery on Hillside Avenue in South River.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in the name of Elaine Sicknick to Trinity Presbyterian Church 367 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.