James Herman

James E. Herman, age 88, of Wayne, passed into eternal life on Monday, August 21, 2023.

James was the older of George and Alice (Lynch) Herman’s two children. He was born in Wayne in his Aunt Helen and Uncle Leonard’s house that was purchased in 1932 from the Sears Roebuck catalog. Jim grew up on Thomas Terrace in Wayne. He attended Passaic County Vocational High School when it was still in Paterson and he graduated with the class of 1952.

Jim met Virginia “Jinny” Clark on a blind date that was set up by his mother and Jinny’s sister who worked together at a dry cleaner. When Jim got home from that first date, he announced to his mom that he knew he was going to marry Jinny. Well, it turned out to be a true statement. They did indeed exchange their wedding promises before God, family and friends on Saturday, August 20, 1955 at the Mountain View Gospel Church (presently called Crossroads Church) on Parish Drive in Wayne. A reception took place at the Wayne Fire Department House #1. It was an extremely hot and humid day and there was also a flood. Jim and Jinny honeymooned in Niagara Falls and in unique fashion, Jinny’s brother and his wife went with them. Upon their return home, they started married life in a cabin on Packanack Lake.  From there they moved into an apartment that overlooked Roue 23 before ultimately putting down roots in their house at 3 Giannone Road in Wayne.  

Career wise, Jim started out as a machine shop manager for Jual Gear Company in Hawthorne. In 1968, with three new mouths to feed, Jim started his own floor sales, supply and installation company which he called New Life Floor Covering. At first he worked out of a truck, visiting customers in their homes where he would show his samples and close the orders, then install. On weekends he did his best to drum up business by selling flooring at a flea market in Elmwood Park. Eventually, he got his first store-front location in the old American Way Outlet Mall in Fairfield.  It was a family business with his wife and children. Jim later moved the business to a storefront on Route 23 in Butler and, in 1996, he opened a second store in the Berdan Shopping Center on Hamburg Turnpike in Wayne.   His son Ron ran the Butler store while Jim ran the Wayne store.

As a young man, Jimmy was a pretty good tap dancer and he also liked to play drums. His early interest in carpentry inspired him to build cabinets before he even had his driver’s license. He built beautiful cabinets but his father had to help him deliver them. In later years, he and Jinny enjoyed some wonderful travel adventures. As a floorman, Jimmy would sometimes win trips from flooring manufacturers for highest sales of their product. That earned them a couple of cruises. His wife Jinny worked for a Swedish company where she was secretary to the president. This earned them a trip to Sweden where they got to have dinner with the king and the queen of Sweden because of the company’s important standing in Sweden. Other trips, like the one they took to Finland were made possible by Jinny’s talent for being a great bargain hunter. Sadly, Jinny passed away in 2000 when she was only 66 years old. Jim always expressed how grateful he was that they didn’t wait to travel till they were older.

Eventually, Jim moved to Cedar Crest Village with his mother Alice and twenty years ago, he moved in with his daughter Susan where he remained to the present.

Jim was a true child of God. Consequently, it was always on his heart to be a good witness for the Lord and to be involved in ministry for his Father in heaven. Originally a member of Mountain View Gospel Church (now Crossroads Church) on Parish Drive, he did chalk ministry as a young man, and he and his wife Jinny worked with the church’s youth group even taking regular trips with them to New York State. He served in his church as deacon and elder and after retiring from his floor business, he got ordained as a minister through Crossroads Church so that he could be even more effective for the Lord. Jim served as an interim pastor at several churches, most recently at Bible Christian Fellowship in Pompton Plains. He loved preaching there along with Pastor Paul and he continued to serve there until three or four years ago when his health prevented him from continuing.    

To those that knew Jim, he was a good friend. He was a hard worker. For example, in his flooring business he worked seven days a week including the flea markets on the weekends. In the Holy Bible in Colossians 3: 23-24, the bible says “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”  That’s what Jim did. That’s why he was always honest in his business dealings and always wanted the job, no matter what it was, to be done right and to the highest standards. Jim truly cared about those who God put in his path. He cared about people and always wanted to help them. As a result, he was loved by many.  

Jim was the beloved husband of Virginia “Jinny” Herman (nee Clark) blessed in marriage for 45 years until her passing in 2000. He was the loving father of: Susan Rivenes and husband Robert, Jr. of Wayne, James “Ron” Herman and wife Sally of Pompton Plains, and the late Diane Tomaiko and her husband Gerry; cherished grandfather of: James “Jimmy” Rivenes, Amanda Herman, Ashley and husband John De Ritter, Steven Herman, Billy Herman, Joshua Herman, and the late Matthew Herman who passed away just this past July, 2023; adored great-grandfather of Madeline and Brooke; dearest brother of the late Ronald Herman and his wife Eileen of Toms River; and dear uncle of: Tom, Ron, David, and Wendy.