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Services
A Memorial Celebration of the life of Nicholas Verduin Jr. will be held on Saturday February 28, 2015, 11:00 AM at the Pompton Reformed Church 59 Hamburg Turnpike Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442. The family will welcome all who knew Nick to share this time with them.
For those who will not be able to physically attend, the service will also be streamed live over the internet. To watch the service live on your computer or tablet, log onto www.pomptonreformed.org, at the top of the screen, click on “Worship,” click on the blue box that says “Click HERE to View Our Live, Streaming Worship Services.” Once the service has begun it will automatically begin to be broadcast on this screen. After the service, it will be archived here to be viewed in the future. You can access it in the dialogue box to the right of where the video streamed live.
Nicholas Verduin, Jr., age 83, of Hamburg and formerly of Wayne died unexpectedly on Tuesday, February 10, 2015.
Nick was born in Paterson. As a young boy, his parents Nicholas, Sr. and Marie Verduin moved the family, including Nick’s brother Douglas to Hawthorne. Nick was a bright young boy and even skipped a grade in elementary school. He graduated from Hawthorne High School with the Class of 1948, and, at the age of 17, went to work in the family business – John Verduin Machine Corp., manufacturers of textile finishing and converting machinery, in Paterson. He later continued his education at Fairleigh Dickinson University at night, earning his engineering degree.
One night at a Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) dance at St. Joseph’s High School in Paterson, Nick spotted a very attractive young lady across the room. Not one who would be described as shy, Nick approached her and politely asked her if she would care to dance with him. Apparently, she found Nick to be rather handsome himself and soon the two were dancing and getting to know each other. Nick learned that this young lady was named Mary Alice Priestly. He also learned that she worked part-time at Meyer Brothers Department Store in Paterson so, a few days later, he showed up at the store to visit Mary, even though there was nothing he needed from a store like Meyer Brothers. They both quickly learned that there was a lot more to each other than just physical attractiveness and a beautiful relationship developed.
One day Nick came home from work and, upon rummaging through the mail, he saw that there was a letter for him from President Harry Truman. It became quickly apparent that the president’s letter was an “invitation” that couldn’t be refused…..for Nick to join the war effort in Korea. Nick had been drafted and was soon off to Fort Dix in South Jersey for basic training. While there, it didn’t take long for upper brass to realize that Nick had some valuable machinery skills. So, instead of going to Korea, the Army sent him to Stuttgart, Germany where his skills could be better leveraged. While there, Nick learned just enough of the German language to be dangerous. The story is told by his daughter Patti of how, later in life, Nick would take her to the German butcher on Belmont Ave., in Haledon. Nick and little Patti would walk into the butcher shop on a Saturday morn and Nick would start to wow those German butchers with his “command” of their native language. This would make the butchers laugh and they would explain to Patti that what her father was asking for in German was “So how is your underwear?”
Corporal Nick Verduin returned from Army service in January of 1954 and Mary, the love of his life, was there at the New York harbor to greet him as he got off that ship. A month later, on February 14, 1954 – Valentine’s Day, Nick took Mary to a restaurant called The Fountain in Belleville where, after sharing a delicious meal and spirited conversation about plans for the future, Nick got down on one knee and asked Mary to be part of those future plans. A little over three months after that magical evening, Nick and Mary exchanged their wedding vows before, God, family and friends at Holy Spirit R.C. Church in Pequannock with dear family friend Monsignor Brestel presiding. After the wedding ceremony, everyone was invited to Mary’s parent’s house at 62 Michigan Ave., Paterson for a celebratory reception. Then the newlyweds set off for their honeymoon to the Poconos – a very popular destination for honeymooners at the time.
Their first home was a third-floor apartment on Zabriskie Street in Haledon. The apartment was cold in the winter and hot in the summer so they soon moved to another apartment on Ninth Ave. in Hawthorne and then, in 1955 to their first house on New Street in Wayne. There they remained for twenty-two years raising their two children Patti and Steve. Another move to another home in Hawthorne took place in 1977, then in 1979 to the Pines Lake section of Wayne where they remained until 2003.
In 1986, now with thirty-eight years of experience in the family machinery business, Nick purchased the business and changed the name to Verduin Machinery, Inc. (VMI). He continued to work with his son Steven until retiring in 2005. Widely known for his integrity, and with his vast experience in the business still in great demand, Nick founded his own consulting firm – Vernon Consulting LLC and continued to be a resource to the textile machinery manufacturing trade to the present time.
Outside of his professional life, Nick had a lot of other ambitions. One of those was his love of the game of golf. Anytime he could get in a few holes, he’d get together with some friends and play. He golfed all over the place as far away from home as Bermuda and Hilton Head, SC and as close to home as The Village at Crystal Springs, a vibrant resort community in Hamburg where he and Mary purchased a home on the 7th hole of the golf course in 2003. As a young father, Nick coached his son Steven’s Wayne PAL baseball teams as Steve rose through the ranks from the Farm League to the Senior Team. In 1970, before the Wayne Little League went on to win the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA, they played against the PAL team that Nick was coaching and Nick’s PAL team beat those Wayne Little League soon-to-be World Series champions. Now that’s not a bad thing to put on your coaching resume! Nick was also a very respectable bowler with a life-time average of 190. Over the years he was active in bowling leagues at Butler Bowl and in Little Falls, bowling in both leagues with his son-in-law Tim. Nick loved to watch sports as much as he loved to play them and he was especially a fan of the Yankees, Giants, Devils, and an endlessly patient fan of the Knicks. He also had a passion and derived great enjoyment from the arts, especially painting and singing. His oil and water color paintings were very good and he especially was drawn to getting outdoors and painting landscapes, boats, and beaches. He would usually sketch a rendering on-site, then go home and put his inspiration to canvas. His beautiful baritone voice was a welcome contribution to the Wyckoff Male Chorus from 1947 to 1986. Nick participated in many concerts and during those years the name of the group changed to the North Jersey Male Chorus. Throughout his life he also sang in choirs at the Wayne United Methodist Church, Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, and most recently at the Pompton Reformed Church in Pompton Lakes under the directorship of his own daughter Patricia Kitchell. As a young couple, Nick and Mary often got together on Saturday nights with friends to go dancing. In those days many restaurants hosted dance nights. One particular place they liked to go dance at was the Meadow Brook Restaurant in Cedar Grove. Nick had his own unique style and expression when dancing which he dubbed the “Hawthorne Shuffle.”
Nick was a lover of family which is evident if you spend a little time in their company. Deeply devoted to his four grandchildren – Tim, Collin, Alex and Kyle, he loved to tell them stories about his experiences as a soldier in the U.S. Army. They’ll tell you that “Grand-Dad” could tell a great story – not just dry facts, but the type of story that got your attention and drew you into what it must have been like to be there. They learned great life lessons from Nick and all of his family found great joy in witnessing how proud he was of his service to his country. In fact, Nick loved it when people thanked him for his service and he often proudly wore his Army veteran baseball cap wherever he went. He also had another cap which said “Awesome Grand-Dad” which he wore with equal pride.
Nick will be sadly missed but fondly remembered. Not just a people person, he was the kind of people person who always saw the good in others. To him, everyone was “a great person” because Nick could always find something good in everyone. You could definitely say he was a “glass-half-full” kind of guy. Almost more important than that was how he earned the respect of so many of his family, friends, and colleagues throughout his life. He was a man of great reputation because he was a man of great integrity! Nick knew no other way than to be generous of heart, always putting the needs of others before his own. For many, many years he served on the board of directors for the local chapter of the Salvation Army, where his son and daughter recall learning great lessons from their dad about how great their own life situation was and how to be of service to those who were less fortunate. A long-time Paterson Rotarian where he was former president, it’s no wonder that, because he was so trusted, generous and full of integrity, he was awarded the distinctive Paul Harris Fellow award.
Nick is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Mary Alice; his much-loved daughter Patricia and husband Timothy Kitchell of Pompton Plains, his much-loved son Steven and wife Elly of Wayne; his four cherished grandchildren: Timothy and wife Stacy Kitchell, Collin Kitchell, Alex (Verduin) and husband Michael Abbato, and Kyle Verduin; two adored great-grandchildren: Theo and Reese Kitchell; and his dear brother Douglas and wife Barbara Verduin of Belvidere, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Nick’s name are asked to consider the Salvation Army, New Jersey Division, P.O. Box 3170, Union, NJ 07083 (newjersey.salvationarmy.org), or the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675 (www.WoundedWarriorProject.org).
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
A Memorial Celebration of the life of Nicholas Verduin Jr. will be held on Saturday February 28, 2015, 11:00 AM at the Pompton Reformed Church 59 Hamburg Turnpike Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442. The family will welcome all who knew Nick to share this time with them.
For those who will not be able to physically attend, the service will also be streamed live over the internet. To watch the service live on your computer or tablet, log onto www.pomptonreformed.org, at the top of the screen, click on “Worship,” click on the blue box that says “Click HERE to View Our Live, Streaming Worship Services.” Once the service has begun it will automatically begin to be broadcast on this screen. After the service, it will be archived here to be viewed in the future. You can access it in the dialogue box to the right of where the video streamed live.
Services
A Memorial Celebration of the life of Nicholas Verduin Jr. will be held on Saturday February 28, 2015, 11:00 AM at the Pompton Reformed Church 59 Hamburg Turnpike Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442. The family will welcome all who knew Nick to share this time with them.
For those who will not be able to physically attend, the service will also be streamed live over the internet. To watch the service live on your computer or tablet, log onto www.pomptonreformed.org, at the top of the screen, click on “Worship,” click on the blue box that says “Click HERE to View Our Live, Streaming Worship Services.” Once the service has begun it will automatically begin to be broadcast on this screen. After the service, it will be archived here to be viewed in the future. You can access it in the dialogue box to the right of where the video streamed live.
Nicholas Verduin, Jr., age 83, of Hamburg and formerly of Wayne died unexpectedly on Tuesday, February 10, 2015.
Nick was born in Paterson. As a young boy, his parents Nicholas, Sr. and Marie Verduin moved the family, including Nick’s brother Douglas to Hawthorne. Nick was a bright young boy and even skipped a grade in elementary school. He graduated from Hawthorne High School with the Class of 1948, and, at the age of 17, went to work in the family business – John Verduin Machine Corp., manufacturers of textile finishing and converting machinery, in Paterson. He later continued his education at Fairleigh Dickinson University at night, earning his engineering degree.
One night at a Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) dance at St. Joseph’s High School in Paterson, Nick spotted a very attractive young lady across the room. Not one who would be described as shy, Nick approached her and politely asked her if she would care to dance with him. Apparently, she found Nick to be rather handsome himself and soon the two were dancing and getting to know each other. Nick learned that this young lady was named Mary Alice Priestly. He also learned that she worked part-time at Meyer Brothers Department Store in Paterson so, a few days later, he showed up at the store to visit Mary, even though there was nothing he needed from a store like Meyer Brothers. They both quickly learned that there was a lot more to each other than just physical attractiveness and a beautiful relationship developed.
One day Nick came home from work and, upon rummaging through the mail, he saw that there was a letter for him from President Harry Truman. It became quickly apparent that the president’s letter was an “invitation” that couldn’t be refused…..for Nick to join the war effort in Korea. Nick had been drafted and was soon off to Fort Dix in South Jersey for basic training. While there, it didn’t take long for upper brass to realize that Nick had some valuable machinery skills. So, instead of going to Korea, the Army sent him to Stuttgart, Germany where his skills could be better leveraged. While there, Nick learned just enough of the German language to be dangerous. The story is told by his daughter Patti of how, later in life, Nick would take her to the German butcher on Belmont Ave., in Haledon. Nick and little Patti would walk into the butcher shop on a Saturday morn and Nick would start to wow those German butchers with his “command” of their native language. This would make the butchers laugh and they would explain to Patti that what her father was asking for in German was “So how is your underwear?”
Corporal Nick Verduin returned from Army service in January of 1954 and Mary, the love of his life, was there at the New York harbor to greet him as he got off that ship. A month later, on February 14, 1954 – Valentine’s Day, Nick took Mary to a restaurant called The Fountain in Belleville where, after sharing a delicious meal and spirited conversation about plans for the future, Nick got down on one knee and asked Mary to be part of those future plans. A little over three months after that magical evening, Nick and Mary exchanged their wedding vows before, God, family and friends at Holy Spirit R.C. Church in Pequannock with dear family friend Monsignor Brestel presiding. After the wedding ceremony, everyone was invited to Mary’s parent’s house at 62 Michigan Ave., Paterson for a celebratory reception. Then the newlyweds set off for their honeymoon to the Poconos – a very popular destination for honeymooners at the time.
Their first home was a third-floor apartment on Zabriskie Street in Haledon. The apartment was cold in the winter and hot in the summer so they soon moved to another apartment on Ninth Ave. in Hawthorne and then, in 1955 to their first house on New Street in Wayne. There they remained for twenty-two years raising their two children Patti and Steve. Another move to another home in Hawthorne took place in 1977, then in 1979 to the Pines Lake section of Wayne where they remained until 2003.
In 1986, now with thirty-eight years of experience in the family machinery business, Nick purchased the business and changed the name to Verduin Machinery, Inc. (VMI). He continued to work with his son Steven until retiring in 2005. Widely known for his integrity, and with his vast experience in the business still in great demand, Nick founded his own consulting firm – Vernon Consulting LLC and continued to be a resource to the textile machinery manufacturing trade to the present time.
Outside of his professional life, Nick had a lot of other ambitions. One of those was his love of the game of golf. Anytime he could get in a few holes, he’d get together with some friends and play. He golfed all over the place as far away from home as Bermuda and Hilton Head, SC and as close to home as The Village at Crystal Springs, a vibrant resort community in Hamburg where he and Mary purchased a home on the 7th hole of the golf course in 2003. As a young father, Nick coached his son Steven’s Wayne PAL baseball teams as Steve rose through the ranks from the Farm League to the Senior Team. In 1970, before the Wayne Little League went on to win the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA, they played against the PAL team that Nick was coaching and Nick’s PAL team beat those Wayne Little League soon-to-be World Series champions. Now that’s not a bad thing to put on your coaching resume! Nick was also a very respectable bowler with a life-time average of 190. Over the years he was active in bowling leagues at Butler Bowl and in Little Falls, bowling in both leagues with his son-in-law Tim. Nick loved to watch sports as much as he loved to play them and he was especially a fan of the Yankees, Giants, Devils, and an endlessly patient fan of the Knicks. He also had a passion and derived great enjoyment from the arts, especially painting and singing. His oil and water color paintings were very good and he especially was drawn to getting outdoors and painting landscapes, boats, and beaches. He would usually sketch a rendering on-site, then go home and put his inspiration to canvas. His beautiful baritone voice was a welcome contribution to the Wyckoff Male Chorus from 1947 to 1986. Nick participated in many concerts and during those years the name of the group changed to the North Jersey Male Chorus. Throughout his life he also sang in choirs at the Wayne United Methodist Church, Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, and most recently at the Pompton Reformed Church in Pompton Lakes under the directorship of his own daughter Patricia Kitchell. As a young couple, Nick and Mary often got together on Saturday nights with friends to go dancing. In those days many restaurants hosted dance nights. One particular place they liked to go dance at was the Meadow Brook Restaurant in Cedar Grove. Nick had his own unique style and expression when dancing which he dubbed the “Hawthorne Shuffle.”
Nick was a lover of family which is evident if you spend a little time in their company. Deeply devoted to his four grandchildren – Tim, Collin, Alex and Kyle, he loved to tell them stories about his experiences as a soldier in the U.S. Army. They’ll tell you that “Grand-Dad” could tell a great story – not just dry facts, but the type of story that got your attention and drew you into what it must have been like to be there. They learned great life lessons from Nick and all of his family found great joy in witnessing how proud he was of his service to his country. In fact, Nick loved it when people thanked him for his service and he often proudly wore his Army veteran baseball cap wherever he went. He also had another cap which said “Awesome Grand-Dad” which he wore with equal pride.
Nick will be sadly missed but fondly remembered. Not just a people person, he was the kind of people person who always saw the good in others. To him, everyone was “a great person” because Nick could always find something good in everyone. You could definitely say he was a “glass-half-full” kind of guy. Almost more important than that was how he earned the respect of so many of his family, friends, and colleagues throughout his life. He was a man of great reputation because he was a man of great integrity! Nick knew no other way than to be generous of heart, always putting the needs of others before his own. For many, many years he served on the board of directors for the local chapter of the Salvation Army, where his son and daughter recall learning great lessons from their dad about how great their own life situation was and how to be of service to those who were less fortunate. A long-time Paterson Rotarian where he was former president, it’s no wonder that, because he was so trusted, generous and full of integrity, he was awarded the distinctive Paul Harris Fellow award.
Nick is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Mary Alice; his much-loved daughter Patricia and husband Timothy Kitchell of Pompton Plains, his much-loved son Steven and wife Elly of Wayne; his four cherished grandchildren: Timothy and wife Stacy Kitchell, Collin Kitchell, Alex (Verduin) and husband Michael Abbato, and Kyle Verduin; two adored great-grandchildren: Theo and Reese Kitchell; and his dear brother Douglas and wife Barbara Verduin of Belvidere, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Nick’s name are asked to consider the Salvation Army, New Jersey Division, P.O. Box 3170, Union, NJ 07083 (newjersey.salvationarmy.org), or the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675 (www.WoundedWarriorProject.org).
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