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September 28, 2018
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 3-7PM on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne. Funeral services will be held at 8:30AM on Wednesday October 3 from the funeral home, then to St Mary's RC Church, 17 Pompton Ave, Pompton Lakes where at 9:30 AM a funeral mass will be celebrated.
Interment will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa.
Charles Thomas age 83 of Wanaque passed away peacefully on Friday September 28, 2018 while receiving the loving care of his family.
Charles was born in Newark and was raised in Hawthorne. He was an only child to Felix and Helen Thomas. Charles graduated with the class of 1952 from Hawthorne High School. After his graduation he immediately enlisted into the United States Navy and was stationed in the Philippines. Charles served proudly from 1954 until his discharge in 1956. Following his graduation, Charles was accepted at Farleigh Dickenson University and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business graduating with the class of 1960.
His first employment was with Fairbanks Morse located in Fairlawn where he worked in the sales department. Charles worked there for about ten years. He then earned a position with American Cyanamid in Wayne where he was hired as a Purchasing Agent. He Stayed with American Cyanamid for sixteen years. Charles then continued his career as a Purchasing Agent with Hoffman LaRoche in Nutley for the next ten years until his retirement in 2010.
Not long after Charles was honorably discharged from the US Navy, he started dating a young woman by the name of Dawn. Dawn knew that Charles was not the guy for her, but she thought he would be a great match for her roommate Helen Tirri. Dawn set the two of them up and they went out on their first date to midnight mass on Christmas Eve. As fate would have it, exactly one year later at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, Charles proposed to her and they were married on June 1, 1958 and honeymooned at Mount Airy Lodge in the Poconos. Charles and Helen settled in Paterson after first getting married and then moved to Syracuse, NY. They lived in Syracuse for about five years or so then moved back to New Jersey to the Pines Lake section of Wayne. They would call Wayne their home for the next fifty years and would raise their children there. In 2013 Helen and Charles moved to Wanaque.
Helen and Charles cherished nearly sixty years of loving and loyal marriage. Charles enjoyed woodworking and built all types of furniture including rocking chairs, Adirondack Chairs and various other types of furniture. He was an avid fisherman of salt and freshwater. He made his own custom flies for fly fishing and one of his favorite fishing spots was at the Flatbrook River in Sussex in a spot called the “Wagon Wheel Hole.” Charles also had many memorable trips to the Caribbean where he would fish for Bonefish. He was an avid sports fan especially of College Football, and the New York Giants and Jets. He was a Boy Scout Leader for Troop 107 in Wayne for many years and he and his wife Helen were parishioners of St Mary’s RC Church in Pompton Lakes for many years as well. He was extremely generous, had a great sense of humor and was the kind of person you couldn’t help but like. But of all of Charles’ hobbies, talents and interests, his greatest passion was for his family. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. Charles took great pride in providing for his family and nothing in the world meant more to him. Charles was an extraordinary person who will be sincerely missed by everyone that knew him.
Charles is survived by his wife Helen (nee Tirri) of Wanaque, two daughters; Lisa Jo Cimorelli and her husband Emil of Highland Lakes, and Mary Ellen Niatas and her husband Jason of Morris Township, one son Chuck Thomas and his wife Kim of Parsippany, six grandchildren; Matthew and Daniel Cimorelli, Christopher and Amanda Thomas, and Katie and Rachel Niatas, and many devoted nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Charles’ name to St. Mary’s RC Church, 17 Pompton Ave, Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from 3-7PM on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne. Funeral services will be held at 8:30AM on Wednesday October 3 from the funeral home, then to St Mary's RC Church, 17 Pompton Ave, Pompton Lakes where at 9:30 AM a funeral mass will be celebrated.
Interment will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa.
September 28, 2018
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 3-7PM on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne. Funeral services will be held at 8:30AM on Wednesday October 3 from the funeral home, then to St Mary's RC Church, 17 Pompton Ave, Pompton Lakes where at 9:30 AM a funeral mass will be celebrated.
Interment will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa.
Charles Thomas age 83 of Wanaque passed away peacefully on Friday September 28, 2018 while receiving the loving care of his family.
Charles was born in Newark and was raised in Hawthorne. He was an only child to Felix and Helen Thomas. Charles graduated with the class of 1952 from Hawthorne High School. After his graduation he immediately enlisted into the United States Navy and was stationed in the Philippines. Charles served proudly from 1954 until his discharge in 1956. Following his graduation, Charles was accepted at Farleigh Dickenson University and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business graduating with the class of 1960.
His first employment was with Fairbanks Morse located in Fairlawn where he worked in the sales department. Charles worked there for about ten years. He then earned a position with American Cyanamid in Wayne where he was hired as a Purchasing Agent. He Stayed with American Cyanamid for sixteen years. Charles then continued his career as a Purchasing Agent with Hoffman LaRoche in Nutley for the next ten years until his retirement in 2010.
Not long after Charles was honorably discharged from the US Navy, he started dating a young woman by the name of Dawn. Dawn knew that Charles was not the guy for her, but she thought he would be a great match for her roommate Helen Tirri. Dawn set the two of them up and they went out on their first date to midnight mass on Christmas Eve. As fate would have it, exactly one year later at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, Charles proposed to her and they were married on June 1, 1958 and honeymooned at Mount Airy Lodge in the Poconos. Charles and Helen settled in Paterson after first getting married and then moved to Syracuse, NY. They lived in Syracuse for about five years or so then moved back to New Jersey to the Pines Lake section of Wayne. They would call Wayne their home for the next fifty years and would raise their children there. In 2013 Helen and Charles moved to Wanaque.
Helen and Charles cherished nearly sixty years of loving and loyal marriage. Charles enjoyed woodworking and built all types of furniture including rocking chairs, Adirondack Chairs and various other types of furniture. He was an avid fisherman of salt and freshwater. He made his own custom flies for fly fishing and one of his favorite fishing spots was at the Flatbrook River in Sussex in a spot called the “Wagon Wheel Hole.” Charles also had many memorable trips to the Caribbean where he would fish for Bonefish. He was an avid sports fan especially of College Football, and the New York Giants and Jets. He was a Boy Scout Leader for Troop 107 in Wayne for many years and he and his wife Helen were parishioners of St Mary’s RC Church in Pompton Lakes for many years as well. He was extremely generous, had a great sense of humor and was the kind of person you couldn’t help but like. But of all of Charles’ hobbies, talents and interests, his greatest passion was for his family. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. Charles took great pride in providing for his family and nothing in the world meant more to him. Charles was an extraordinary person who will be sincerely missed by everyone that knew him.
Charles is survived by his wife Helen (nee Tirri) of Wanaque, two daughters; Lisa Jo Cimorelli and her husband Emil of Highland Lakes, and Mary Ellen Niatas and her husband Jason of Morris Township, one son Chuck Thomas and his wife Kim of Parsippany, six grandchildren; Matthew and Daniel Cimorelli, Christopher and Amanda Thomas, and Katie and Rachel Niatas, and many devoted nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Charles’ name to St. Mary’s RC Church, 17 Pompton Ave, Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442.
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