Christopher J. Seltenheim

Christopher Joseph Seltenheim, age 71, of Pompton Lakes, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 12, 2022.

Chris was born in Paterson and raised in Lincoln Park and Oakland. He was a graduate of Indian Hills High School in Oakland with the Class of 1969. While in high school, he played on the school’s football team. Chris entered the workforce where he worked first as an extrusion machine operator with Poly Plastics in Oakland. He later worked as a service technician for Precision Screen Printing of Hawthorne and then with M&R Screen Printing in Lincoln Park. Chris retired in 2020.

Chris met his wife Irene Iuele one night when they were both at Goody’s, the place where all teenagers wanted to be, in Butler. They started dating and, as fate would have it, they fell in love. One Easter Sunday, while sitting together in Chris’ 1969 dark blue Chevy Camaro in front of his parent’s house, Chris proposed marriage to Irene. She said “Yes” and they joined the rest of Chris’ family in the house for an Easter celebration where they announced the good news and Irene showed off her engagement ring to everyone. They married on Saturday, September 8, 1973 at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Wayne. After celebrating with family and friends at Neal’s Restaurant at 88 Newark Pompton Turnpike in Riverdale, they set out on their honeymoon to Pennsylvania, upstate New York, and up to Niagara Falls on the New York side.

Chris and Irene’s first home as husband and wife was a house they rented in the Lions Head Lake section of Wayne. They stayed there for a couple of months then moved in with Chris's mother in Oakland. Ten months later, in 1974, they moved into their present home in Pompton Lakes. Soon after, Chris and Irene became proud parents of a baby girl which they named Karen followed by a baby boy which they named Christopher, Jr. “C.J.”.

When Karen and C.J. were young kids growing up, Chris would often take them up to the Orange County Fair in Middletown. Chris’ favorite part of the fair was going to the speedway to watch the modified stockcars race. The kids also have special memories of regularly spending summer days as a family down the Jersey shore in Seaside Heights, trips to Busch Gardens and Six Flags Great Adventure where riding on the roller coasters together, making funny faces and putting their hands over their faces when they took your picture always made them share a laugh. Chris and C.J. enjoyed going fishing together near Chris’ mother’s house along the Ramapo River. Chris’ work required quite a bit of travel. His daughter Karen would always ask her mom when he was coming home. Over time, a tradition was established where Chris would always bring back a commemorative pin and a postcard from wherever he went for work. It was Chris and Karen’s special thing and it was always a way for Karen to look forward to when he got home. To this day, she has every pin he had ever given her.

Chris’ other favorite pastime was watching television. He especially liked to tune into the Giants games, Daytona races, episodes of Law and Order, Fox News, and old-time westerns like Bonanza and Gun Smoke.  He was always out for a bargain and he looked forward to taking Sunday drives to discount stores. In all these activities, it wasn’t unusual to see him spending his leisure time with his dog Bandit and later Harry by his side. As a young man, Chris purchased a 1974 Honda CB550 motorcycle. He loved taking it out for a cruise but, over the years and with the arrival of his children reprioritizing his life, the motorcycle lay dormant in the garage for many years. When Chris’ son C.J. purchased a motorcycle, it inspired Chris to pull his old bike out of mothballs. He dusted it off and got it running again. Together, Chris and C.J. entered their motorcycles in the Pompton Lakes car show and, wouldn’t ya know it? They took first and second prize! Ask C.J. who won first and who won second.

Chris was a loved father! Whether he knew it or not, he raised his kids to be independent. He taught them many life lessons for daily living, like how to fix things, how to mow the lawn, and how to change the oil in their cars. He could always be counted on and was always there to help when needed. Blessed with so many memories, one of Karen’s most special memories was when her dad walked her down the aisle at her wedding. Chris was also an awesome grandfather! One of the greatest highlights of Chris’ life was the birth of his grandson Dominick. He loved when Dominick came over and, when Dominick would come to visit him, Chris would just light up! Chris and Dominick could often be found down on the floor to playing together. It was very apparent that they shared a special bond.

Chris was the beloved husband of Irene (Iuele) Seltenheim; loving father of: Karen Hansen and husband William Hansen of Pompton Lakes, and Christopher “CJ” Seltenheim, Jr. of Pompton Lakes; proud grandfather “Poppi” of Dominick Hansen; dear brother of: Lynn Smith and husband Alfred Smith of Franklin, and Karl Seltenheim and his late wife Susan of Wayne; and dear uncle of Diane Goode, Jo Ann Ewasko, Steven Ewasko, and Scott Seltenheim.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Christopher’s name are asked to consider:

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Memorial Processing,

501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105-9959