Gussie McLeod

Gussie (Webb) McLeod, 94, departed this life on January 30, 2026, in the comfort of her home, surrounded by family. Gussie was born on August 19, 1931, to the late Charles Sr. and Mertis Webb. She attended the Newark School System until she and her siblings moved to Colonia, NJ, to be cared for by their aunt and uncle, Annie and Artway Robinson. While there, she completed her education within the Woodbridge Township School System.

While on one of her many visits back to Newark by train, Gussie met the man who would become her beloved soulmate for life, the late Munson McLeod Sr. He was in the Rahway, NJ, train station singing “Old Man River.” Munson’s voice, the acoustics of the station, and his chiseled good looks captivated her; it was love at first sight. Moved by her stunning beauty, Munson finished the song, introduced himself, and immediately asked Gussie if she would marry him. The rest, as they say, is not just history, but THEIRSTORY. They married on September 24, 1950, and enjoyed over 47 years of marital bliss. They raised four children—Sharon, William, Munson Jr., and Gregory—built their family residence in Edison, NJ, and provided their children with great life lessons to pattern their lives after.

Gussie enjoyed many years of employment as a machine operator and assembly line worker with companies such as Westinghouse, The Regina Company, Mattel Toys, Gulton Inc., and Atomic Trophies. She was a hard-working woman, at times working two or three jobs to make ends meet, which helped her children learn the value of a strong work ethic.

Gussie was an avid fan of daytime soap operas for many years. If she saw a storyline she didn’t like, she would write to the producers and TV stations to complain and offer suggestions. Though they never replied, she always felt good about speaking her mind.

Gussie also loved going to the movies. She and her good friend and partner in “cinematic indulgence,” the late Mrs. Doris Edler (mother-in-law to her son William), were always up for a little movie-time murder and mayhem. They frequented many a movie house whenever their schedules permitted.

Gussie was a competitive (aka "cut-throat") Pinochle player and taught her family to play Flinch, a card game she and her sister Alma played as children. She loved hosting family gatherings and cookouts, always ready to prepare special dishes for her children, like applesauce cake with walnuts, yellow turnips at Thanksgiving, baked beans with bacon, and rotisserie chicken.

Gussie loved to dance and would be the first on the floor when the music started. She and her sister-in-law, Helen, were talented singers who won many contests performing at a local jazz club (Tylers) in Avenel, NJ. Gussie’s children learned to sing by listening to her when she cooked in the kitchen or at bedtime as she prepared them for sleep. Her voice shall live on in each of them. Although Gussie was not a member of Elizabeth Baptist Church, Douglasville, GA, she loved the melodious voices of the choir especially when her son, William led a song.

Gussie was predeceased by her parents, Charles Sr. and Mertis Webb; her sister, Alma Hanks; her brother, Charles Webb Jr. (aka Brother); her sister, Inez Webb; her husband, Munson McLeod Sr.; and her first-born grandson, Munson W.G. McLeod (aka BJ).

Left to cherish her memory are her four children: daughter Sharon D. McLeod of Oakland, CA; son William G. McLeod (Lorraine) of Villa Rica, GA; son Munson V. McLeod (Kim) of Galloway, NJ; and son Gregory R. McLeod (Polovia) of Bethlehem, PA. She also leaves behind her grandchildren: Semaj McLeod-Jones (aka Jaime), Gregory McLeod (Catherine), Dionna McLeod, Daniel McLeod; Jocelyn Edler and Jonathan Scott (Mecca); her great-grandchildren: Tyree McLeod-Jones, Melody Inez McLeod; Patriece Smith (Randy), Jamaal Burley, Nazhe’, Nahshon, and Nasir Scott, and one great-great-grandchild, Grayson Smith, and a host of nieces, nephews, other family members, and loving friends.