Miles “Tom” Burklow, Sr.

Miles “Tom” Burklow, age 92 of Pompton Plains, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Sunday, March 28, 2021. At the time of his passing, he was surrounded by his loving family. Tom was a faithful and trusting servant of Jesus Christ, always placing the needs of others above his own, benevolently sharing the Gospel.

Colossians 3:23

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”

Tom was the owner of Air Treatment, Inc. of Pompton Plains, which he founded in 1961, providing commercial HVAC systems. He was a pioneer of sorts, as air conditioning and ice making were relatively new technologies at the time. He had learned about refrigeration and air conditioning at his first job after high school, working at York Engineering. With a little encouragement from a mentor at York, he decided to venture out on his own, and that’s how he started his company. Of course, like any entrepreneur, it required a great deal of sweat, hard work, and long hours to make it happen.

Tom grew up in Nutley, NJ, where he was an All-State football player in high school. After graduating high school in 1947, he began taking engineering classes at Newark College of Engineering, but was soon drafted into the military. Unsure of which branch he would be assigned to, he said a little prayer, asking the Lord “just don’t send me to the Marines.” Well, as fate would have it, that’s exactly where he ended up; the U.S. Marine Corps. After basic training, he served in Okinawa during the Korean War and, of course, he became a very proud Marine.

The most difficult aspect of his service in the Marine Corps was having to spend so much time away from his beloved wife, Kathleen. They were high school sweethearts, having met in the 10th grade. She was a drum majorette and Tom was star of the football team. They both attended the Brookdale Baptist Church in Bloomfield and were married there on October 7, 1950. They enjoyed a ‘road trip’ style honeymoon, traveling through New England and all the way up to Canada before returning home to live in Clifton. In 1959, they settled in Pompton Plains to raise their family. Throughout the years, they’ve enjoyed family vacations to Long Beach Island, the Caribbean, and untold visits to various historic sites (Tom’s favorite!). Tom and Kathleen’s marriage and family life was rooted in Christ’s love, and they recently celebrated seventy years together. They have been active members of The Chapel in Lincoln Park since 1971, and Tom lived his faith each and every day.

When Tom and Kathleen moved to Pompton Plains in 1959, they embraced their new community and Tom became well known for his involvement. Tom had a love of sports and raising three boys provided many coaching opportunities. Tom created the "Burklow's Gym" - building an addition on to their house, creating an over-sized garage to accommodate a Universal, two Olympic free-weight sets, a wrestling mat, and other exercise equipment.  The "gym" was open to anyone who was willing to keep the rules (no cursing; no drugs, cigarettes or alcohol brought on the property; leave the gym as clean, or cleaner, than you found it).  The "gym" was self-policed by those who trained out of their respect for Mr. and Mrs. Burklow.  It drew young athletes and weight trainers from multiple municipalities.  Plus, you could walk into the "gym" on a summer day and find an Olympic athlete, an NFL player, and a young student getting ready for his freshman year in high school sharing gym space. Tom also coached football, baseball, wrestling, and he’s one of the founders of the Pequannock Little League organization. He and Kathleen were loyal fans of Pequannock Township High School football, where they practically wore out their seats in the bleachers at Panther Stadium. He’s been enthusiastically cheering on generations of aspiring athletes in town, and his presence in the stands will be dearly missed.

Tom is survived by his beloved wife Kathleen (Smith) of Pompton Plains, three sons; Tom (Miles, Jr.) Burklow and his wife Debbie, Todd Burklow, and Tim Burklow and his wife Linda, all of Pompton Plains, seven grandchildren; Benjamin and his wife Diana of Boonton Township, Morgan and his wife Jacqueline of Butler and Timmy, Lauren and Jason of Pompton Plains, Merrissa and her husband John Pires of Pompton Plains, and Kaila and Donnie Roberson of New Castle, DE, nine great-grandchildren, and one sister; Ruth Roberts and her husband Al of Illinois.  Tom was predeceased by his brother Troy Burklow, and by his sister Ann Pormann.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Tom’s memory would be greatly appreciate to The Chapel, 264 Jacksonville Rd., Lincoln Park, NJ 07035. You can also donate online at www.thechapel.org.