Ernest “Mickey” Darnsteadt, Jr.

Ernest “Mickey” Darnsteadt, Jr., age 85 of Wayne, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. He had lived in Wayne for nearly his entire life.

Mickey was a machinist for Sandvik Corporation in Fair Lawn, NJ throughout his entire career before retiring in 1998.

Mickey was a train enthusiast who traveled anywhere and everywhere that you could find train shows, train museums, or shops that sold collectible trains. He just loved trains! When he traveled with his wife, Emma, they almost always went somewhere that had trains. Mickey preferred to travel by car and he loved to drive. He refused to use a GPS, relying only on his trusty map collection, and he preferred back roads rather than the interstate. He never got lost, not even once. When his sons were young boys, he took them on a cross-country trip, visiting forty-eight states in six weeks, driving a station wagon with a camper in tow. He loved yard sales too, and one of their road trips included driving through one of the longest yard sales in America, driving for an entire week from vendor to vendor! Mickey only traveled in an airplane once, at age 70, and the airline pilots gave him a set of wings when the flight landed! But even after that, he preferred to drive wherever he needed to go.

In 1988, Mickey met Emma De Guzman at a singles event. They hit it off immediately and were married the next year. He encouraged her to finish school and get her LPN, which she did! The love they shared was truly special. They have enjoyed thirty-two years of loving each other, gardening together, traveling, and watching their family grow. Mickey’s ‘other love’ is their dog, Sydney. They were very close and Sydney will miss him dearly.

Mickey is survived by his beloved wife Emma of Wayne, by his two sons; Darrin and his wife Mary of Andover, and Dale and his wife Kelly of Sparta, two granddaughters; Jennifer and Ashley Darnsteadt, Emma’s children; Michael Serrano and his wife Hilda, and Carmela Swing and her husband Michael, Emma’s grandchildren; Heidee, Ellaijah, Amme, and Carmela Serrano, and Chanize, Kayla and Shawn Swing, and Mickey’s dear nephew; Kevin Sudol and his wife Barbara.