Jennie Eleanor (Paradiso) Brislin

Jennie Eleanor Brislin (nee Paradiso), born April 7, 1928, passed away at home in her favorite chair on June 2, 2026, aged 98.

She is predeceased by her husband Bill B. Brislin, her parents, Joseph and Antoinette (Giuseppe & Antonetta) Paradiso, her brothers Dominick, Angelo, Thomas and Joseph Paradiso, and her daughter Anne Marie Savoy.  A Dunellen resident of over 60 years, Jennie grew up on Ward Street in Orange, New Jersey, with favorite pastimes including jump rope, basketball and roller skating. She attended Orange High during the WWII years, and after high school worked at Monroe Business Machines as a bookkeeper. 

She was blessed with fantastic friends throughout all phases of life. As a young adult she enjoyed trips to NYC, Summer weekends at Asbury Park as well as greyhound vacations with her best friend Marion Jones (nee Poniken) to places including Miami, Washington D.C, and Nashville Tennessee.

She also went with friends on weekend night “mystery bus rides” that always ended at a dance hall throughout Northeast NJ. It was at one of these she met Bill Brislin and they later married on September 1, 1956. 

As their family grew, they lived in diverse settings throughout the state, including E. Orange, Montague, Washington Borough, and Highland Park, ultimately owning their Dunellen home where over the years they we surrounded with an abundance of great neighbors.  

Jennie was a parishioner of St. Johns in Dunellen, a Girl Scout leader, a skilled artist with oil paints, and a restorer of antique furniture. As the mother of five children, she later rejoined the accounting workforce as a temp, primarily at various Hoechst locations in central NJ. Her practical work ethic would guide her to an award-winning full time position at Mack Truck, working in the late 1980s into the ‘90s before retiring. 

During these years she and Bill enjoyed trips to New York City, local outdoor concerts, and stays in Atlantic City.  She also savored the talents of her children, be it piano, guitar, acting, singing or artwork. As time passed, she would add the joy of spending time with her two beloved grandchildren. In her final years (up to her last day) she liked doing newspaper crosswords, completing jigsaw puzzles, and faithfully watching “Jeopardy!” on TV.

Jennie is survived by her son William Brislin and his wife Sue, her daughter Karen Brenner and her husband Alan, her daughter Jennie Metenosky and her husband John, her son Tom Brislin, and her late daughter’s husband Ken Savoy. She also has two grandchildren, Amanda and John Metenosky, two nephews Joseph and Dominick Paradiso, along with their spouses, children and grandchildren, as well as other cousins, nieces and nephews.

Jennie repeatedly shared what a wonderful, fulfilling life she had, and requested that we all be happy when she finally goes to be with the Lord and loved ones waiting for her to arrive.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend her viewing at Sheenan Funeral Home on Saturday, June 6, 2026 from 10:00 AM, followed by her service of Christian burial at 12 noon. Interment will follow at Resurrection Cemetery in Piscataway. In lieu of flowers please donate in her name to either Covenant House NYC or Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers Mission.

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