Edwin B. Minchin, Jr.

Edwin B. Minchin, Jr., age 74 of Iselin, passed away on Sunday, August 13, 2023 after a brief illness.

The second of Edwin B. Minchin Sr. and Irene (Ashfield) Minchin’s two children, Ed was born in Paterson and raised in the family home at 151 Albion Ave. in Paterson. When he was just fourteen years old, his mother passed away. Needless to say, this had a profound effect upon Ed and the whole family. Ed’s older sister Eileen did her best to fill in and, she and Ed grew very close in their sibling care and lifelong love for one another. When Ed graduated from Don Bosco Tech High School, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps where he rose to the rank of Sergeant and proudly served his country from 1966 to 1970 including two-and-a-half tours in Vietnam during the war. His last tour was cut short by President Nixon calling the troops home. For his bravery and valor, Ed was the recipient of the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with one Star, the Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Rifle Marksmanship Badge, and two Good Conduct Medals. Throughout the years he remained a member of the American Legion.  

After leaving the military, he went on to meet his first wife with whom he shared three children. He made so many wonderful memories with his children including family vacations to Florida and Hilton Head. They went on many day trips while always blasting his doo-wop cassette tapes the whole car ride. He loved coaching his children's soccer and softball leagues for many years. Enjoyed family game night and trips to Carvel. He was also a loving grandfather to his grandchildren and was proud to have all of their names tattooed on his arm.  He always sang his infamous song ¨Hot dog summer in the city” where the grandkids still sing it to this day. 

Upon return to civilian life, Ed started his own auto body shop on Albion Ave in Paterson. During his working years he also was a fleet manager with Air Brook Limousine, worked for AT&T in Long Island, owned his own construction business – Minchin Construction, where he primarily built homes and additions, was an operations manager for Mobile Storage in South Plainfield, and, before retiring at age 62, served as an operations manager for Partsfleet Inc. – a logistics company headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

In his spare time, Ed was a man of various pastime pursuits. His favorite was undoubtedly working on and showcasing his classic 1937 black Oldsmobile. It was a real looker and Ed loved to take it to car shows and enter it in competitions. He trophied so many times that he honestly lost count. Just this year alone he won three trophies. People loved it when he displayed the automobile as a gangster getaway car complete with life size skeletons dressed as bank robbers with machine guns and flapper girls. Another hobby of Ed’s was working on his house. He spent every winter planning the annual big spring project. As soon as the weather was warm enough, itching to go, Ed got to work. One year he resided the front of the house with stone. The next it was installing a beautiful bay window. Other projects included an addition to his deck, the construction of a tiki bar on that deck, the addition of a windmill, and keeping his grass fed, watered, trimmed and looking pristine. He even did quite a bit of stone scaping in his back yard. His home, both inside and out, was a source of great pride for Ed. Despite some physical challenges, which Ed never let slow him down, he went to the gym every day of the week except Sunday to work out. It was an activity which he enjoyed participating in with his buddies and, while it was primarily about staying in shape, it was also about the camaraderie that they all shared. 

Ed met his second wife Erika while working together at Mobile Storage in South Plainfield. It was she who asked him out. Their first date was on the Saturday after Valentine’s Day in 2006 and they married a little over a year later on May 18, 2007. Ed and Erika really had a marriage made in heaven. They seldom had a disagreement and, in those rare times that they did, they always worked it out before going to sleep. Every night included a mutual kiss and “I love you!” Together they enjoyed a trip, just this past May to Bermuda. They also maintained a longtime tradition of heading down to Atlantic City every other month to stay at the Tropicana Casino. They both played the slots and the day always ended with a delicious dinner at their favorite casino restaurant – Broadway Burger. Sometimes while down the shore, they’d grab a rickshaw and get a ride down the boardwalk. Then they would walk all the way back, shopping as they went. It was great fun and always included a stop in their favorite candy store for fresh fudge. Other highlight trips included Hershey Park and to Fort Lauderdale, FL for nephew Robert’s wedding and Disney World. 

The trips and destinations were lots of fun but Ed was just as happy being home. On Saturday nights, he and Erika could often be found relaxing on the deck, listening to doo-whop and other music from the fifties and sixties, sometimes dancing in the glow of the tiki torches. Ed loved having his kids and grandkids come over for barbeques and holidays – having everyone gathered together and swimming in the pool.

Ed was a happy, easy-going, fun-loving guy who was always friendly and outgoing. He simply loved life. 

Ed is survived by his beloved wife Erika (Matousek);  loving son Edwin Minchin, III and wife Gladys, loving daughters Tina Hadjissa and husband Tambe, and Heather Minchin and companion Rob Torres; his loving stepson Justin Polhamus, loving stepdaughter Rachel, eight cherished grandchildren: Tyler, Ava, Chase, Hailie, Robert, Kaitlynn, Gianna, and Adam; and his dearly loved sister Eileen Fernand and husband Robert.