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Services
Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, June 16, 2016 from 3-7 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, June 17, 2016 at 10:30 AM from the funeral home. Interment will follow at East Ridgelawn Cemetery, Clifton.
Charles E. Will “Ed” age 91, of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 12, 2016.
Born in Union City, he was raised in the Athenia section of Clifton. During Ed’s senior year at Clifton High School, his heart was really elsewhere. You see, Ed really wanted to join the U.S. Navy. That’s all he could think about! He finally convinced his parents to let him quit school early, but since he was only seventeen, his father had to come with him to the Navy recruiting office in Paterson to sign papers giving consent for Ed to enlist. The next month Ed turned eighteen. He served his country proudly in Dunkeswell, England during World War II from 1942 to 1946 as a radioman. Ed’s duties included maintenance of the Navy communication systems, including transmitters, receivers, and antennas that were onboard ships, aircraft and at shore facilities. Later in life, he went back to England to visit where he had previously served. There he saw a memorial with the following inscription:
This stone was laid to preserve the memory of the U.S. Navy & U.S.A.A.F. personnel who were based at Dunkeswell during W.W.II
Many returned home
Some stayed forever
None will be forgotten
After the war, Ed returned to civilian life and promptly pursued and earned his high school equivalency diploma. His first job was with TEL Instruments in Carlstadt. He worked there for several years. Then, through the help of a friend, he got a position as a quality control inspector for the U.S. Department of Defense. His duties included visiting the various local defense contractors where he conducted inspections to ensure that product and processes were in compliance with federal standards. His family and friends never knew specifics because much of Ed’s work was top-secret. He loved this job and worked for the Department of Defense for thirty years, retiring in 1981.
Ed met his beloved wife Selma (nee Prigoditz) at a party celebrating the engagement of his friend Marty Springman and her friend Virginia Ratzer. Selma was helping at the party by serving the guests and she and Ed met when she approached Ed and offered to get him a beer. Their encounter resulted in a loving relationship. They got engaged themselves and married on September 1, 1951 at St. Nicholas Church in Passaic. A reception at the Robin Hood Inn in Clifton followed the wedding ceremony and then these newlyweds headed out on a motor trip honeymoon up the U.S. east coast and into Canada where they stayed at a place which is still there today – the beautiful castle like Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. They bought a house on Maplewood Ave. in Clifton and remained there until 1964 when they moved to Wayne and raised their family.
If you didn’t know where Ed was, there were always two places that you would look first….in his basement tinkering with his model railroads, or at the Grasshopper Irish Bar and Restaurant in the Mountain View section of Wayne having a beer with friends. Ed had a huge train layout in his basement and his collection included several hundred different trains. He was always tinkering with them, making the scenery to go around, going to train shows and reading magazines about trains. And every Christmas, there was sure to be a train chugging on a track around the Christmas tree. In the afternoons he traditionally met up with his buddies Rooster and Bruce at the Grasshopper for a nice tall cool glass of Budweiser beer. In later years, he’d often wear his Navy hat there. He’d strike up a conversation and tell a new friend stories about his Navy days. Many times those new friends would pay for his beer as a way of saying “Thanks for your service to our country!” He’d come home and exclaim “I didn’t have to spend a dime today.” Ed’s family threw him a big party at the Grasshopper to celebrate his 90th birthday and, earlier this year, when he was in Care One in Wayne for some rehabilitation, he made it his goal to be home by St. Patrick’s Day so he could get over to the Grasshopper one more time. He reached his goal, thanks to the help of his good friends!
Ed and Selma did their share of traveling in their retirement years. They took several trips by car to see friends in Texas and California and a little closer to home they enjoyed a trip up Mount Washington in New Hampshire. There were also trips to Hawaii and throughout Europe and, of course, numerous Navy reunions all over the country and visits to see his grandchildren.
To know Ed was to love him. He was quiet and loved spending time listening by himself to music – especially big band era music from the 1930’s 40’s and 50’s. But he was also very approachable and was always up for a friendly conversation. Easy going, he would often say, “We’ll do that tomorrow.” He was thoughtful and always remembered you on your birthday. Basically, Ed loved his wife, family, country and the simple things of life like a cool bear and a warm conversation.
Surviving are Ed’s beloved wife of 64 years, Selma: two daughters: Dianne Benson and husband Jon Africano of Wayne, and Kathleen Savacool and companion Jack Jameison of Anderson, SC; three grandchildren: Courtney and Michael Savacool and Patrick Benson; one great-granddaughter: Emma; and two nephews and one niece. He was predeceased by his brother William Will in 2007.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Ed’s name are asked to consider the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675 (www.woundedwarriorproject.org).
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, June 16, 2016 from 3-7 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, June 17, 2016 at 10:30 AM from the funeral home. Interment will follow at East Ridgelawn Cemetery, Clifton.
Services
Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, June 16, 2016 from 3-7 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, June 17, 2016 at 10:30 AM from the funeral home. Interment will follow at East Ridgelawn Cemetery, Clifton.
Charles E. Will “Ed” age 91, of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 12, 2016.
Born in Union City, he was raised in the Athenia section of Clifton. During Ed’s senior year at Clifton High School, his heart was really elsewhere. You see, Ed really wanted to join the U.S. Navy. That’s all he could think about! He finally convinced his parents to let him quit school early, but since he was only seventeen, his father had to come with him to the Navy recruiting office in Paterson to sign papers giving consent for Ed to enlist. The next month Ed turned eighteen. He served his country proudly in Dunkeswell, England during World War II from 1942 to 1946 as a radioman. Ed’s duties included maintenance of the Navy communication systems, including transmitters, receivers, and antennas that were onboard ships, aircraft and at shore facilities. Later in life, he went back to England to visit where he had previously served. There he saw a memorial with the following inscription:
This stone was laid to preserve the memory of the U.S. Navy & U.S.A.A.F. personnel who were based at Dunkeswell during W.W.II
Many returned home
Some stayed forever
None will be forgotten
After the war, Ed returned to civilian life and promptly pursued and earned his high school equivalency diploma. His first job was with TEL Instruments in Carlstadt. He worked there for several years. Then, through the help of a friend, he got a position as a quality control inspector for the U.S. Department of Defense. His duties included visiting the various local defense contractors where he conducted inspections to ensure that product and processes were in compliance with federal standards. His family and friends never knew specifics because much of Ed’s work was top-secret. He loved this job and worked for the Department of Defense for thirty years, retiring in 1981.
Ed met his beloved wife Selma (nee Prigoditz) at a party celebrating the engagement of his friend Marty Springman and her friend Virginia Ratzer. Selma was helping at the party by serving the guests and she and Ed met when she approached Ed and offered to get him a beer. Their encounter resulted in a loving relationship. They got engaged themselves and married on September 1, 1951 at St. Nicholas Church in Passaic. A reception at the Robin Hood Inn in Clifton followed the wedding ceremony and then these newlyweds headed out on a motor trip honeymoon up the U.S. east coast and into Canada where they stayed at a place which is still there today – the beautiful castle like Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. They bought a house on Maplewood Ave. in Clifton and remained there until 1964 when they moved to Wayne and raised their family.
If you didn’t know where Ed was, there were always two places that you would look first….in his basement tinkering with his model railroads, or at the Grasshopper Irish Bar and Restaurant in the Mountain View section of Wayne having a beer with friends. Ed had a huge train layout in his basement and his collection included several hundred different trains. He was always tinkering with them, making the scenery to go around, going to train shows and reading magazines about trains. And every Christmas, there was sure to be a train chugging on a track around the Christmas tree. In the afternoons he traditionally met up with his buddies Rooster and Bruce at the Grasshopper for a nice tall cool glass of Budweiser beer. In later years, he’d often wear his Navy hat there. He’d strike up a conversation and tell a new friend stories about his Navy days. Many times those new friends would pay for his beer as a way of saying “Thanks for your service to our country!” He’d come home and exclaim “I didn’t have to spend a dime today.” Ed’s family threw him a big party at the Grasshopper to celebrate his 90th birthday and, earlier this year, when he was in Care One in Wayne for some rehabilitation, he made it his goal to be home by St. Patrick’s Day so he could get over to the Grasshopper one more time. He reached his goal, thanks to the help of his good friends!
Ed and Selma did their share of traveling in their retirement years. They took several trips by car to see friends in Texas and California and a little closer to home they enjoyed a trip up Mount Washington in New Hampshire. There were also trips to Hawaii and throughout Europe and, of course, numerous Navy reunions all over the country and visits to see his grandchildren.
To know Ed was to love him. He was quiet and loved spending time listening by himself to music – especially big band era music from the 1930’s 40’s and 50’s. But he was also very approachable and was always up for a friendly conversation. Easy going, he would often say, “We’ll do that tomorrow.” He was thoughtful and always remembered you on your birthday. Basically, Ed loved his wife, family, country and the simple things of life like a cool bear and a warm conversation.
Surviving are Ed’s beloved wife of 64 years, Selma: two daughters: Dianne Benson and husband Jon Africano of Wayne, and Kathleen Savacool and companion Jack Jameison of Anderson, SC; three grandchildren: Courtney and Michael Savacool and Patrick Benson; one great-granddaughter: Emma; and two nephews and one niece. He was predeceased by his brother William Will in 2007.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Ed’s name are asked to consider the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675 (www.woundedwarriorproject.org).
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