Ewald Schloesser, age 82 of Wayne, died on Tuesday, November 5, 2013. He had been a resident of Wayne since 1962.

Ewald was born in Wischtyten, Lithuania in 1931. The events of World War II forced his family off their farm, out of Lithuania, and into Poland. Later, when the Germans invaded Russia, his family was able to return to Lithuania but found their farm claimed by others and they had to settle elsewhere. As the War progressed, his entire family found themselves captives of Russia, separated and deported to various labor camps. Sadly, he lost his father Heinrich, his sister Ida, and his brother Helmut during the war. Ewald survived, along with his other sister Erna and brother Gustav, and together, with their mother Auguste, they earned sponsorship to America. They sailed to New York, arriving on November 6, 1951. They boarded a train and traveled to Factoryville, Pennsylvania where they went to work on a farm. Tragically, about a year later, Ewald was severely injured when the farm tractor he was driving rolled over and crushed his pelvis. He endured months in the hospital during his difficult recovery. Needless to say, his days of laboring on a farm had come to an end. He moved east, to Paterson, NJ where he found work in a machine shop as an apprentice machinist.

Ewald was a very fast learner and poured himself into his work. He was very fortunate to have a skilled German machinist as a mentor and this man taught him a great deal. Ewald quickly realized the importance of mathematics in his career and he taught himself trigonometry, having had no more than an eighth grade education before World War II interrupted his childhood. He mastered the skills of his trade and was naturally brilliant at problem solving. He became highly respected in his field and regarded as one of the best at what he did. His family recalls a funny story where Ewald found himself in a meeting with many highly educated engineers, all specialists in their fields. They were each introducing themselves and describing their educational credentials – which were all very impressive. When they asked Ewald if he was also an engineer, he proudly stated "No, not me, I'm a farmer", earning a good laugh and even more respect among his professional peers.

Ewald earned the respect of his employers at Ken-Mar Machine Mfg. Corp. too, and when they were ready to retire, he became part owner of the business in 1974. Recognizing that plastics were becoming used more frequently in manufacturing and machine work, he developed unique methods for machining plastics. Ewald laid claim to a U.S. patent for replacement hip components and he pioneered the manufacture of medical implants and components for replacement human joints. He was no stranger to hard work and you could often find him at the kitchen table, with a hip joint in hand, studying it intently and deep in thought. He was most proud to have his sons take over at the shop to carry on the legacy. Ewald truly epitomized the American Dream.

His ability to design and create such intricate components without any formal education was a testament to his intellect. His sons, both educated engineers, would often seek his help with their most difficult problems. Ewald could get down to the fundamentals very easily and then build up to a solution, making it look simple. His daughter recalls his offer to help with her high school trigonometry homework by producing a small booklet saying “Here Carol, I don't know if this will help you but it helped me when I taught myself." She realized right then what a true genius her father was.

Back in the early 1950’s, after moving to Paterson, Ewald followed the advice of an uncle who once said "If you want to meet a nice German girl you go to Passaic." There he met the love of his life, Mary Schmidt, at a German dance hall. During their courtship they learned how close their paths came to nearly crossing a few years earlier; they had both come to America on the same ship, one voyage apart, in 1951. While dating, Ewald often stated "whoever marries me is going to get a good husband." They married on October 29, 1955. And proving himself right, they enjoyed fifty eight years together, devoted to one another, in a caring and loving marriage. They called each other “mom” and “dad”, always held hands, and he would open every door for her. They first settled in Paterson before moving to Wayne in 1962. Though their honeymoon consisted of painting their house, after their first 25 years of marriage, they were finally able to begin traveling to many places including a trip to Hawaii with friends to celebrate their 25th anniversary and a trip to the Bahamas with family to celebrate their 50th anniversary. More recently they enjoyed visiting Atlantic City to play the slots. As much as Ewald enjoyed the slots, his family knows that he was subconsciously trying to figure out how those machines worked! The gears in his mind never stopped turning.

Ewald was a very selfless man and he discreetly cared for a great many people. Many members of his family, dear friends, his church community, and countless others can attest to his generosity and kindness.

Ewald is survived by his loving wife Mary of Wayne, his three children: Rudy and his wife Debora of Randoph, Eddy and his wife Marcia of Montville, and Carol Gabel and her husband Douglas of Pompton Plains, six grandchildren; Christine Schloesser and her husband Kyle Hendrickson of Succasunna, Joshua Schloesser of San Diego, CA, Tiffany Schloesser of New York, NY, Brittany Schloesser of New York, NY, Madison Schloesser of Montville, Kaila Hope Mary Gabel of Pompton Plains, and two great-grandchildren; Brayden and Evelyn Hendrickson both of Succasunna, his sister Erna Frank of Pompton Plains, his brother Gustav and wife Eleanor of Franklin Lakes, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister Ida and his brother Helmut.

Ewald loved flowers, but was also a very practical man. His family would greatly appreciate donations to the "St. Timothy Lutheran Church Memorial Fund", 395 Valley Rd., Wayne, NJ 07470.