Charles Stern

Charles (Charlie) Stern, age 95, of Wayne, NJ, passed away peacefully on August 29, 2023. 

Charlie is survived by his loving wife Effie (née Van Leeuwe), two daughters Grace (Andrew) and Karen (Derek), and grandchildren Samantha and Colin.  He is predeceased by siblings Elsie, Anne, William, Lena, Helen, Rose, Joseph, and Audrey.

Charlie was born to Joseph Stern and Lena Meyers on May 19, 1928, in Paterson, NJ, and grew up in Wayne.  Wayne did not have its own high school at the time; he graduated from Pompton Lakes High School in 1946.   

He served in the U.S. Army from 1950 to 1952, as Private First Class during the Korean War.

Charlie was resourceful and had an inquisitive mind. He loved tinkering and building; an early example of this is illustrated by the story of how he acquired his first car.  As the youngest of nine, his resourcefulness led him to have a conversation with one of his uncles who was using the body of a Model A Ford as a chicken coop (the rest of the parts were stored in a shed).   He asked how much he could buy the “parts” for so he could build a car.   His uncle replied, “if you get it running, it is yours.” He drove that Model A until he parted it out, using some parts for his Roadster, and eventually, some of those parts were used in his race car.

Charlie had a love for racing. During the late 40’s to mid-50’s, he joined a local racing club for the Northeast, and raced his Sprint car at the various dirt oval tracks along the East coast.

In 1953, Charlie had a chance meeting with a young woman (Effie) who was friends with his niece, Connie.   What began as a few people going out for ice cream, progressed into a first date, and then to “going steady.” On March 6, 1955, Charlie and Effie were married.   By 1963, Effie and Charlie moved into the house that Charlie had built for them in Wayne, NJ, where they lived and raised their family.

When Effie and Charlie met, he was working as a machinist for Simonek Racing in an area of Paterson known at the time as “Gasoline Alley.” He then worked as a carpenter building houses.  In the late 60’s, with a growing family to provide for, he took the advice of a friend who recommended a different career path, and applied at the NJ Department of Motor Vehicles.  Over his 25-year career with the DMV, he spent time at several locations throughout northern NJ and retired in 1991 as Supervisor of the Ridgewood Inspection Station.  In retirement, he was not a man to sit idle.  He took a part-time job at the local NAPA delivering auto parts, joined the Handyman’s team at Preakness Reformed Church, played golf, and repaired whatever needed fixing for his family and others (i.e., lawn mowers, bikes, etc.).

Charlie and Effie cruised to Alaska and Hawaii, and traveled with family to France, Arizona, Florida’s Disney, Vermont, Texas, Hilton Head Island and Cape May, among other places. He also enjoyed his title of “Pop-Pop” and attended soccer games, and any other activities in which his grandchildren were involved; he played badminton in the back yard, swam with them in the pool, and taught them to play golf, just to name a few.

Charlie will be remembered as a loving husband, father, and grandfather.  He will be sincerely missed by every person whose life he touched.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations to the Preakness Reformed Church Scholarship Memorial Fund (Please make checks payable to the Preakness Reformed Church and put Charles Stern in the memo line)  Mail to: Preakness Reformed Church, 131 Church Lane, Wayne, NJ 07470 or the Wounded Warrior Project would be greatly appreciated.