Donald J. Boonstra

Donald J. Boonstra, age 76 of Wayne, died peacefully at home on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. Don has been a Wayne resident since 1980.

Don grew up in Paterson and was born into the family business; Boonstra’s Dairy, located on Union Avenue in Paterson.  The dairy dates back to the early 1800’s and Don was among the fourth generation to operate it.  Needless to say, Don knows his ice cream better than anyone!

Leading into the 1970’s, the dairy industry had changed almost as much as the City of Paterson had changed, and his family made the decision to sell the dairy.  It was then that Don decided to join the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department.  He graduated at the top of his class from the Police Academy, where he was also the oldest guy in the class, at thirty-six years old. He excelled in his new career, rising rapidly through the ranks. He was well respected among his peers and became the “go-to” guy for just about everything. Don enjoyed his career and the many friends he made along the way, but he always remained an ‘ice cream man’ at heart.

Don had been a fan of baseball his whole life.  He played ball for many years, was a devoted Brooklyn Dodgers fan, and later became a loyal METS fan. He was a ‘trivia master,’ with a vast knowledge of all sorts of things. He loved reading history, particularly about WWII, and he recently finished reading the World Almanac.  His brain was like a sponge for all things. It makes sense that he was a huge fan of Jeopardy!, watching the show faithfully each night. He went to a try-out session for the television gameshow in Atlantic City once, but he didn’t fare as well there as he ordinarily did in his own living room. Don also enjoyed doing research on his family history. He knew his Dutch heritage pretty well, so he thought, until his own DNA analysis revealed that he was primarily of Irish decent, with relatives hailing from the County Cork and County Cavan regions of Ireland.

Don met his wife, Suzanne Robinson, at Gino’s on Haledon Ave. in Haledon during the early 1960’s. He was smitten from the moment he met her and he took her to the movies for their first date. He proposed in 1965 and they were married on April 20, 1966 at St. Paul’s Church in Haledon.  After a honeymoon to the Poconos and Atlantic City, they settled into their first home in Haledon. They eventually moved to Wayne in 1980 and have called this their home ever since. They have enjoyed a “great” marriage for more than fifty-four years. More recently, they traveled together to Disney World and had taken several cruises as well. Don has always been very family oriented, teaching his children the importance of keeping close to one another. He was a hard worker and dedicated provider for his family. A generous dad, his children and grandchildren have never wanted for anything from him. He loved spending his free time with his family, and they all have countless great memories. Don had an especially close relationship will all of his grandchildren as well, and he was truly devoted to them. He was proud of all their accomplishments. They each adore him, and will miss him dearly.

Don is survived by his wife Suzanne (nee Robinson) of Wayne, three children; Jennifer Miller and her husband John of Sussex, Kevin Boonstra of Wayne and Brian Boonstra of Wayne, four grandchildren; Lauren Boonstra, John Boonstra, Skyler Boonstra, and Christine Miller, and his dear sister; Carol Schultz and her husband Frank of Secaucus.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Don’s memory would be appreciated to the Friends of Wayne Animals, FOWA Rescue, PO Box 3701, Wayne, NJ 07470 or visit www.fowarescue.org.