Andrew Elzinga

Andrew Elzinga, age 84, of Pompton Lakes passed away unexpectedly on Monday, January 4, 2021.

Andy was born and raised in Koudum, Friesland, the Netherlands and was one of four children born to Johannes and Trijntje Elzinga.  Andy grew up during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II.  Throughout the war, during the frequent air raids, young Jewish children and their families would seek shelter and safety at the Elzinga house.  After completing the eighth grade, Andy left school and went to work on a dairy farm.  His early employment at the dairy farm set the foundation for the outstanding work ethic that Andy would hold the rest of his life.

In the spring of 1955, Andy, his parents, his sister Jane, and brother, Simon, immigrated to the United States, in search of a better life and the “American Dream”.  Upon arriving in the US, the family settled in Sussex where Andy started working on a local farm.  Andy’s family  stayed in Sussex for seven months and then moved to Prospect Park.  After four months in Prospect Park, Andy moved back to Sussex where he continued his employment, eventually moving back to Prospect Park and finding work at Vandereems Manufacturing in Hawthorne.

In 1957, while at the annual school Labor Day picnic at Terrace Lake, located in Butler, NJ,  Andy met an attractive, young lady by the name of Charlotte Sinke.  Andy and Charlotte started dating and they fell in love.  While dating, Andy enlisted in the United States Army to serve his new homeland and secure his new country’s citizenship.  The United States Army is where Andy primarily learned the English Language (and picked up his slight southern drawl).  During his service in the US Army, Andy was one of the only men in his outfit that knew how to drive a truck.  He was assigned as a transport/heavy vehicle driver in the Army, transporting officers to their destinations as well as truckloads of troops and equipment.

On November 28, 1959 while still in the service, Andy and Charlotte were married.  Andy was honorably discharged in 1960 from the US Army and settled with his wife, in Haledon, NJ.  The couple welcomed their first child while living in Haledon but did not stay there long.  Andy and Charlotte moved to Pompton Lakes and over the years had three more children.

He then utilized his truck driving skills and accepted a position as a truck driver for Frasse Steel in Lyndhurst, where he worked until his retirement.  After retiring, Andy worked for Red Star Express Lines based out of Newark.  In retirement, Andy was busier than he had ever been before, including owning and operating a landscaping business for a few years. He enjoyed landscaping his yard, as well as driving his tractor, and cutting the fields at his son’s farm.

Andy was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.  He was not only devoted to his family but also to his Christian faith. He started each morning by reading his Bible.   Andy was very active in the church. Andy was a Sunday school teacher, deacon and youth group leader at the former Third Christian Reformed Church, later known as Trinity Christian Reformed Church and then Covenant Christian Reformed Church. Andy and Charlotte were also members of the Mr. & Mrs. Club and helped organize many activities, including the many camping trips for the families of the Mr. & Mrs. Club.   He was also a member of the Booster Club at Trinity and Covenant Christian Reformed Church where he volunteered at the “fish ‘n’ chips” dinners they held.  He also served in various capacities at the Pompton Plains Reformed Bible Church where he was a member at the time of his death.  Andy volunteered alongside his wife, Charlotte, at the Corner Closet and then Ditto, thrift stores, which both supported the Eastern Christian School Association. They purchased a fifth-wheel camper and traveled with it as members of The Good Sam Club.  Andy enjoyed his work for the Army Corps of Engineers in his retirement, meeting and making more friends along the way.  He was a soccer referee for the Pompton Lakes Youth Soccer League and a high school soccer referee, as well as a Pompton Lakes youth soccer coach.  Being outdoors was something that Andy truly treasured.  One of his family’s most memorable trips was a vacation out west with their pop-up trailer. This trip included the culmination of earning his Degree in Wildlife Conservation in Yellowstone National Park.  This held a special place in Andy’s heart because he always desired to be an “American Cowboy”.  Andy was also a proud member of the NRA.  Andy enjoyed woodworking as a hobby and also researching his family’s genealogy.  

Andy was called “Pake” (pronounced PAH-kuh) by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, a word from a Dutch dialect meaning grandpa and he became known by this name, even to his children’s and grandchildren’s friends and many people throughout his community. Andy also had a great love for animals.  As his neighbors would walk by his house with their dogs, he would often come outside and give the dogs treats.  After a time, the neighbors’ dogs would automatically stop and sit in front of Andy’s house during their walk, even when Andy wasn’t outside, waiting for their treat.

Aside from all of Andy’s talents, hobbies, and interests, his greatest passion was for his family.  Nothing in the world meant more to Andy than providing for his family with his incredible work ethic and supporting his grandchildren in whatever they did.  Andy was an outgoing, compassionate, and selfless man, always putting others’ needs and wants ahead of his own.  He and Charlotte cherished sixty-one years of loving and loyal marriage together.  Andy was truly a special person who touched the lives of many people and will be sincerely missed by everyone that knew him.

Andy is survived by his wife Charlotte (nee Sinke) of Pompton Lakes; three daughters, Janice Kuiken and her husband Dennis of Wyckoff, NJ, Carolyn Salvesen and her husband John of Keller, TX, and Patricia Moschella and her husband Robert of Byram Township, NJ, one son John Elzinga and his wife Sara of Lafayette, NJ, one sister Jane Lindemulder of Wayne, NJ, one brother Simon Elzinga and his wife Judith of Marietta, PA, his sister-in-law Rena Martens and her husband George of Wayne, NJ; thirteen grandchildren, Ryan Kuiken and his wife Laura Rocio, Laura Royle and her husband Simon, Michael Moschella and his fiancée Hayley Vicedomini, Brittany Chandler and her husband Dallas, Alyssa Morin and her husband Jake, Joseph Moschella, Brian Salvesen and his fiancée Emma Pourzan, Jessica Elzinga, Andrew Elzinga, Jenna Salvesen, Kaitlyn Elzinga, Andrew Salvesen,and Elizabeth Elzinga; five great-grandchildren, Brooklyn Chandler, Luke Royle, Aurora Chandler, Trevor Morin, Oliver Royle, and two great-grandchildren “on the way”; twelve nieces and nephews and their children, Cor Moens and his wife Janet, Tineke Groen-Moens, Jeannette Hoogendoorn and her husband Nico, Arien Moens, George Lindemulder and his wife Susan, John Lindemulder and his wife Susan, Paul Lindemulder and his wife Heidi, Peter Elzinga and his wife Stephanie, Kristen Ridge and her husband Michael, George Martens, Laura Martens, and David Martens and his wife Andrea.  Andy is also survived by Mary Jane Borger Elzinga, and many devoted friends and neighbors.  He was predeceased by his sister Pierkje (Piery) Moens and her husband Dierk, his brother-in-law Nicholas Lindemulder, and two nephews, Johan Moens and James Lindemulder.            

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in Andy’s name are asked to consider their local Parkinson’s Foundation, which can be located through ADPA http://www.apdaparkinson.org  (Please reference Andy Elzinga/Charlotte Elzinga) or the NJ Chapter for the American Parkinson Disease Association at; APDANJ, PO Box 910, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, or The Little Light House, 5120 E 36th Street, Tulsa, OK 74135 http://www.littlelighthouse.org/give-help/ (Please reference Andrew Elzinga/Brooklyn Chandler)