Arthur Udland, 91, of Wayne, passed away on September 22, 2018, peacefully and surrounded by his family. Born in Brooklyn, NY, on June 18, 1927, Art had been a resident of Wayne since 1953.

Art is survived by Dolores (nee Gallo) - his beloved wife of 68 years; four children: Richard, Kenneth (Rosemary), Carol, and Susan; three younger sisters: Evelyn, Betty, and Peggy; eight grandchildren: Vic, Marcy, Kelly, Nicole, Myles, AJ, Tyler, and Blake; and eight great-grandchildren.

Art and Dee met on New Year’s Eve 1947 at a party Dee insists she had no interest in attending. The two marked the first day of 1948 by talking all day on the telephone. Married on April 9, 1950, Art and Dee moved to Wayne in 1953 and have lived in the home built by Art, Dee, and their fathers ever since. A caring, devoted, and loving husband for nearly seven decades, Art and Dee’s marriage was the kind of romance that people will have the privilege of being around but a few times in their life.

Art joined the Navy in June 1945, just days after his eighteenth birthday, serving in the Pacific Theater during World War II before an honorable discharge in August 1946. Art was awarded with an American Theater Medal and Victory Medal for his service.

A sheet metal expert by trade, in 1956 Art co-founded Bonland Sheet Metal and ran the business until selling his interest to co-founder Ernie Boniface in 1976. After his retirement from the sheet metal business, Art was a substance abuse counselor at Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, from the early ‘80s until the mid- ‘90s.

Anyone who knew Art will never forget his love of food and the famous appetite that reflected this passion. Entire quarts of ice cream, three-pound bags of Peanut M&Ms, and seafood platters for two, had a way of disappearing in his presence. A famous Udland family rule endures to this day: order whatever you want off the menu as long as you eat it all. The final part of this rule was but a formality for Art.

An avid Giants and Yankees fan, Art instilled a love of sports in his children and grandchildren and is remembered for his talents assembling an excellent tailgate.

Art was an active member of Preakness Reformed Church in Wayne, serving as a church elder, a deacon, and superintendent of Sunday School through the decades. Art also led the Church’s expansion project in 1958 and oversaw the construction of Berdan Hall, completed in 1960 and a space which hosts Church and community events to this day.

Art’s family will remember his 24-hour drives to Florida in the ‘70s, his overwhelming poison ivy allergy, driving too fast in his 1986 Nissan Z, spontaneous singing of the Norwegian national anthem (in Norwegian), and daily breakfasts at Brian’s Waffle House in Avalon, N.J.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Art’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959 or visit www.stjude.org.