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June 2, 2014
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Wednesday, June 4, 2014 from 2-4 and 7-9 PM.
A Funeral Mass will be offered on Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 12:00 noon from the Chapel at Cedar Crest Village, 1 Cedar Crest Drive, Pompton Plains. Please meet directly at the chapel. Interment will follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa.
Edward J., Reading, age 91 of Pompton Plains and formerly of Hawthorne and Brick, died peacefully on Monday, June 2, 2014. His passing was made peaceful by the love he received from his dear family who were by his side.
Ed was born and raised in Paterson. He attended and graduated from Paterson’s Central High School. It was there that he met the love of his life. Her name was Dorothy and, while Ed starred in basketball, Dot was a cheerleader, cheering him and the other boys to victory.
Following high school, in 1941, Ed enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. A true and honorable American, Ed was part of a crew that took the S.S. Normandie over from the Vichy French on Pearl Harbor Day. After Normandie burned Ed entered naval aviation and aerial gunnery school. He served as a nose gunner and plane captain of a PBY crew of a patrol bomber Squadron (V.P.B.6 [Navy 103]). For his valiant bravery Ed was awarded the European, African, and Middle East Campaign Medal, the Air Medal with cluster, the Unit Commendation from Commander-in-Chief Atlantic Fleet, Arctic Service Medal, and the Distinguished Service Medal. Near the end of the war, he flew with a Coast Guard Air-Sea Rescue Squadron. Ed survived two plane crashes and crossed the equator and Arctic Circle. He was honorably discharged from the Coast Guard in 1945. During the Korean War, he enlisted, in 1948 in the Naval Reserve and served till being honorably discharged in 1953.
One week in 1944, Ed came home on leave from the Coast Guard. Reunited with his high school sweetheart Dorothy, he asked for her hand in marriage. Dot eagerly accepted. Because Ed’s leave from the coast guard was so brief, they ambitiously decided to set the date for their wedding to be May 27, 1944 – one week from the night Ed proposed to Dot! Dot got right to work, sending out 150 handwritten invitations. Wouldn’t you know it? All 150 invitees responded that they were coming. All the plans were coming together. The church was set, the reception hall and band were booked. All was great until the day before the wedding when their car, which contained Dot’s wedding dress, was stolen! She ended up using her sister’s gown which needed some alterations because Dot was 5 inches taller than her sister. The wedding at St. Mark’s Church and reception at the Old Vienna Hall, both in Paterson, went off with great fanfare including a front page article in the Paterson Morning Call newspaper, recounting the drama from the day before the wedding. The newlyweds honeymooned in Asbury Park before Ed returned to the Coast Guard.
Upon his return from the war, Ed attended Newark College of Engineering. His first job was as a construction superintendent and estimator for De Christofer Construction Company. He later went on to become a union carpenter with Union Local 620, Madison.
Outside of work, Ed was always on the go, giving of his time for others through various philanthropic endeavors. He was a member of the Holy Name Society, Knights of Columbus, Ocean County Sierra Club, American Security Council, Chairman of the Paterson Merchants Cancer Drive, Ancient Order of Pterodactyl, Armitage Post American Legion, a life-member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a member of the Paterson Dux Club.
Ed and Dot enjoyed a storied life together. Throughout their 70 years as man and wife, they built six houses together in Totowa, Hawthorne, South Jersey and Florida, all from scratch. They always had a house by the shore which was a great venue for memory-making with their four wonderful children and cherished grandchildren. In his spare time, he and Dot loved to play golf at the Lions Head Golf and Country Club and the Leisureville Golf Club. He loved watching sporting events too, especially Army football where he was a season ticket holder since 1946. He rooted for the Giants, Yankees and Mets. Despite his personal pursuits, Ed always put family first. He loved to spend time with his grandchildren and he always did his best to attend their sporting events. Recently Ed and Dot had been living at Cedar Crest Village. They could often be seen holding hands and were often light-heartedly teased for it. Dot always smiled and explained that they held hands because she didn’t want Ed to run away.
Ed is survived by his beloved wife of 70 years, Dorothy; his dear children: Reverend Edward Reading of Ortley Beach, Patrick Reading of Paterson, Lynn Connelly of Wayne and her late husband Joseph (2009), and Thomas Reading of Forked River; and his four cherished grandchildren: Brendan and Kevin Connelly and Kelsey and Dolton Reading.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Edward’s name are asked to consider the Cedar Crest Village Residence Fund, 1 Cedar Crest Drive, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Wednesday, June 4, 2014 from 2-4 and 7-9 PM.
A Funeral Mass will be offered on Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 12:00 noon from the Chapel at Cedar Crest Village, 1 Cedar Crest Drive, Pompton Plains. Please meet directly at the chapel. Interment will follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa.
June 2, 2014
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Wednesday, June 4, 2014 from 2-4 and 7-9 PM.
A Funeral Mass will be offered on Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 12:00 noon from the Chapel at Cedar Crest Village, 1 Cedar Crest Drive, Pompton Plains. Please meet directly at the chapel. Interment will follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa.
Edward J., Reading, age 91 of Pompton Plains and formerly of Hawthorne and Brick, died peacefully on Monday, June 2, 2014. His passing was made peaceful by the love he received from his dear family who were by his side.
Ed was born and raised in Paterson. He attended and graduated from Paterson’s Central High School. It was there that he met the love of his life. Her name was Dorothy and, while Ed starred in basketball, Dot was a cheerleader, cheering him and the other boys to victory.
Following high school, in 1941, Ed enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. A true and honorable American, Ed was part of a crew that took the S.S. Normandie over from the Vichy French on Pearl Harbor Day. After Normandie burned Ed entered naval aviation and aerial gunnery school. He served as a nose gunner and plane captain of a PBY crew of a patrol bomber Squadron (V.P.B.6 [Navy 103]). For his valiant bravery Ed was awarded the European, African, and Middle East Campaign Medal, the Air Medal with cluster, the Unit Commendation from Commander-in-Chief Atlantic Fleet, Arctic Service Medal, and the Distinguished Service Medal. Near the end of the war, he flew with a Coast Guard Air-Sea Rescue Squadron. Ed survived two plane crashes and crossed the equator and Arctic Circle. He was honorably discharged from the Coast Guard in 1945. During the Korean War, he enlisted, in 1948 in the Naval Reserve and served till being honorably discharged in 1953.
One week in 1944, Ed came home on leave from the Coast Guard. Reunited with his high school sweetheart Dorothy, he asked for her hand in marriage. Dot eagerly accepted. Because Ed’s leave from the coast guard was so brief, they ambitiously decided to set the date for their wedding to be May 27, 1944 – one week from the night Ed proposed to Dot! Dot got right to work, sending out 150 handwritten invitations. Wouldn’t you know it? All 150 invitees responded that they were coming. All the plans were coming together. The church was set, the reception hall and band were booked. All was great until the day before the wedding when their car, which contained Dot’s wedding dress, was stolen! She ended up using her sister’s gown which needed some alterations because Dot was 5 inches taller than her sister. The wedding at St. Mark’s Church and reception at the Old Vienna Hall, both in Paterson, went off with great fanfare including a front page article in the Paterson Morning Call newspaper, recounting the drama from the day before the wedding. The newlyweds honeymooned in Asbury Park before Ed returned to the Coast Guard.
Upon his return from the war, Ed attended Newark College of Engineering. His first job was as a construction superintendent and estimator for De Christofer Construction Company. He later went on to become a union carpenter with Union Local 620, Madison.
Outside of work, Ed was always on the go, giving of his time for others through various philanthropic endeavors. He was a member of the Holy Name Society, Knights of Columbus, Ocean County Sierra Club, American Security Council, Chairman of the Paterson Merchants Cancer Drive, Ancient Order of Pterodactyl, Armitage Post American Legion, a life-member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a member of the Paterson Dux Club.
Ed and Dot enjoyed a storied life together. Throughout their 70 years as man and wife, they built six houses together in Totowa, Hawthorne, South Jersey and Florida, all from scratch. They always had a house by the shore which was a great venue for memory-making with their four wonderful children and cherished grandchildren. In his spare time, he and Dot loved to play golf at the Lions Head Golf and Country Club and the Leisureville Golf Club. He loved watching sporting events too, especially Army football where he was a season ticket holder since 1946. He rooted for the Giants, Yankees and Mets. Despite his personal pursuits, Ed always put family first. He loved to spend time with his grandchildren and he always did his best to attend their sporting events. Recently Ed and Dot had been living at Cedar Crest Village. They could often be seen holding hands and were often light-heartedly teased for it. Dot always smiled and explained that they held hands because she didn’t want Ed to run away.
Ed is survived by his beloved wife of 70 years, Dorothy; his dear children: Reverend Edward Reading of Ortley Beach, Patrick Reading of Paterson, Lynn Connelly of Wayne and her late husband Joseph (2009), and Thomas Reading of Forked River; and his four cherished grandchildren: Brendan and Kevin Connelly and Kelsey and Dolton Reading.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Edward’s name are asked to consider the Cedar Crest Village Residence Fund, 1 Cedar Crest Drive, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444.
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