Emily Halpern Obituary
It is with great sadness that we pass on the news of our dear mother's passing. Emily Peck Halpern died on September 2, 2026 at the age of 96 in Yardley, Pennsylvania after a long and courageous battle with dementia. Emily was the beloved wife of our father, Arthur David Halpern, who passed in 2016. She leaves behind three sons and three grandchildren.
Emily was born in New York City and raised in New Rochelle, New York, the younger sister of Robert Beryl Peck and the cherished daughter of Joseph Peck, a longtime high school history teacher and Mary Peck, a nurturing and nostalgic mother who instilled in her the value of a quality education and living a fruitful and ethical life. She graduated from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania with a degree in English. She went on to work numerous administrative jobs in the New York City area that included a short stint in Pasadena, California, with the majority of her career spent in the Chappaqua (NY) elementary school system as a Librarian who was known by her students as the "Book Lady". But her greatest accomplishment and the one that gave her the most joy was being the incredibly loving and always supportive cheerleading mother of three boys who chose to pursue very different career paths: John in photography, Joe in journalism and Bob in banking. Emily would brag to any visitor to her house about her decorated walls of John Halpern's fine print collection, show newspaper articles that her son Joe wrote and claim that Jamie Dimon was only making tons of money at JP Morgan because of her son Bob's guidance.
Emily enjoyed several passions throughout her life including cooking delicious meals and decadent desserts, hosting lavish dinner parties and decorating her homes with contemporary furniture.Emily had a keen eye for design as evidenced by her vast art collection and stylish furniture. She loved travel, theater, classic movies, history books, biographies, fiction, newspapers (New York Times) and magazines (The New Yorker). It was a major crisis at the Halpern household if a New York Times and/or a New Yorker wasn't delivered at the exact time that Emily expected it. She was an avid sports fan and was particularly passionate about her beloved New York Mets and the University of North Carolina women's soccer and men's basketball teams which she shared with her late husband Arthur when they retired to Pittsboro, North Carolina. Emily was a lifelong Democrat and an unabashed liberal who believed that everyone in this country, regardless of their race and upbringing, should have an opportunity at achieving economic and social success. She wore her heart on her sleeve most days and sought out deep and meaningful discussions. She never backed down from heated debates about current affairs or shared her feelings about what's right and more importantly, what is wrong in the world.
Emily loved socializing, conversing with friends and strangers. She took a passionate interest in her son's lives and rallied us when we were down as well as celebrated the loudest for our achievements. She genuinely cared about those around her. One example of her caring and fearless spirit is when she worked at a soup kitchen and infamously broke up a knife fight and reprimanded the combatants to behave themselves if they ever wanted to enjoy her soup again. On the other side of the spectrum, she was an admirer of the rich and famous and enjoyed telling her stories of meeting them throughout her long life. Like Arthur, she never wanted to stop learning and made it a mission to be updated on current world events until dementia stole her abilities. We'll remember Emily for her infectious laughter and amusing Emily mannerisms and favorite sayings and subtle put downs. She loved to laugh and had a gift for finding humor in almost all situations. She was an incredibly loving mother and guiding light for us three Halpern boys and will be greatly missed by all those that had the privilege of knowing her. Emily also leaves behind her three cherished daughter in laws, Elizabeth, Joanne and Dona along with her three beloved grandchildren, Jake, Rachel and Katie. A celebration of Emily's life will be held on October 3rd at her son Bob's house in Lambertville, NJ.
Arrangements are under the direction of the J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel in Morrisville, PA.
