James Barone

Please note: the memorial visitation for Jim will be at Vander May Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne, NJ on Friday, October 8, 2021 from 4-7pm with military honors at 6:30pm.  A memorial Mass will take place on Saturday, October 9, 2021 at 9:30am at St. Mary's RC Church in Pompton Lakes, NJ.  Please meet directly at church.

James C. Barone, age 87, of Wayne, passed away peacefully at home, on Monday, February 17, 2020.

Jim was born and raised in Niagara Falls, NY. After graduating from Bishop Duffy Catholic High School with the Class of 1950, he went on for undergraduate studies at University of Cincinnati, earning his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering in 1956. Jim later attended graduate school at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, PA where he earned his Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering in 1959.

Jim served in the United States Army where, as a Second Lieutenant, he conducted solid propellant research. After being honorably discharged, Jim enjoyed the bulk of his career as a chemical engineer and commercial manager for American Cyanamid Corporation.

While working at American Cyanamid, Jim met his future wife Elaine (nee Tartaglia). Jim and Elaine exchanged their wedding vows before friends and family on September 3, 1960 at Sacred Heart Church in Stanford, Connecticut and enjoyed a loving and devoted marriage for 60 years. Jim and Elaine were blessed with two sons, Christopher and James, Jr.

Jim and Elaine’s first home together as husband and wife was in Stanford, Connecticut. Because of Jim’s work, they moved around a bit, living also in North Haven, Connecticut and Louisville, Kentucky before settling into the Packanack Lake section of Wayne in 1974.

Outside of work, Jim had many interests, one of which was model trains. This hobby started small scale in his basement but soon that small layout grew to become huge and quite elaborate and his buddies would be over frequently as they too shared Jim’s interest in trains. Over time, Jim’s hobby led to the formation of the Packanack Train Club of which, Jim became the President. One of the highlights came every year around Christmas time, when the club members would break down the train layout and reset it up at the Packanack Clubhouse so that all the neighborhood children could come to be amazed by the trains.

Jim’s other hobbies were also pretty much centered on his life in Packanack Lake. He was big into fishing and so it was only natural that he would be a member of the Packanack Anglers Club. He also loved to take in a game of golf and, once again, the Golf course in Packanack was his course of choice.

At home, Jim could often be found tending to his prized roses and in the evening he and Elaine loved to relax and watch NHL Hockey games featuring their favorite team, the New Jersey Devils. Jim’s radio dial was usually tuned to WQXR, the classical radio station and much to Elaine’s mild frustration, Jim only seemed to know one volume – loud!

Jim loved his wife Elaine and two sons, Chris and James, Jr. He adored his two granddaughters Dagny and Isabel and loved talking frequently with them on the telephone. While he was often strong-willed and serious, he could equally display a great sense of humor which always kept them laughing.

Jim was the loving husband to Elaine. Loving father of Christopher and wife Marcia Barone of Kutztown, PA, and James Barone, Jr. of St. Jacob, IL; and grandfather of Dagny Moll Barone and Isabel Moll Barone. He was predeceased by his two sisters: Marie Urso and Vincinette McDowell.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Anatomical Association, 675 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ 08854-5635.