Paul Breen, Jr.

Paul Breen, Jr., age 83 of Wayne, died peacefully on Friday, April 14, 2023. He has lived in Wayne since 1967.

Paul grew up in Fair Lawn, NJ and graduated from Fair Lawn High School in 1957. He attended Roanoke College where he joined the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. He went on to earn his Associates Degree from the County College of Morris, but remained a loyal fan of Roanoke College throughout his lifetime, attending Roanoke Alumni Weekends every April for decades. He began his career working for various electronics distributors before starting his own Manufacturer's Rep  company in 1983; Breen Associates.  He continued operating Breen Associates until just last year.

Paul had many, diverse interests, including snow skiing, water skiing, fishing, bicycling, playing the organ, reading, and his all-time greatest passion was tennis. He played tennis at every chance he had, and was a lifelong member and past president of the Wayne Racquet Club.  With family and friends, he very much enjoyed their house at Lake Wallenpaupack, Pennsylvania, where Paul would go fishing with his dog, Brandy.  He also took his family to Seaside Heights, NJ, for annual summer vacations. He learned to ski at Vernon Valley Great Gorge and belonged to Hidden Valley in Highland Lakes, but once he experienced skiing at Park City, Utah, this became his favorite ski destination. Paul devoured books and favored nonfiction and sci-fi novels. When his eyesight began to fail him, he would still read with the aid of a magnifying glass. More recently, he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren around the pool. His great-grandkids would gather around him when he played the organ. He loved all the time he was able to spend with each of them, and they will miss him dearly. 

Paul met his wife, Sandy (nee Kidd), at a friend’s house. It was love at first sight, at least for Paul. Sandy turned him down once or twice before she finally relented, and they began dating. Things move quickly and they were married on September 9, 1961. They initially settled in Fair Lawn, and lived in Trumbull, Connecticut, briefly before buying their forever home in Wayne in 1967. During their marriage, they traveled extensively to places like Bermuda, Las Vegas, the Bahamas, and four trips to Hawaii. Sandy was the love of his life, and he told her that often. 

Paul is survived by his beloved wife, Sandy, their two children; Robert and his wife Elizabeth, and Deborah Pinand and her husband Paul, Sr., six grandchildren: Dana Pinand (Timmy), PJ Pinand, Jr., Matthew Pinand and his wife Ashley, Joseph Pinand, Cassidy Breen, and Michael Breen, five great-grandchildren: Nolah Rounds, Ryder Decker, Cheyenne Pinand, Chase Pinand, and Carter Pinand. His sister: Marilyn Whetham and her late husband Bob, and his sister-in-law: Ellen Cosgrove and her husband Bob. Paul was predeceased by his daughter Tracey Breen in 1997 and by his grandson Christopher Breen-Stivala in 2013

In lieu of flowers, donations in Paul’s memory would be appreciated to RBARI, c/o Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc., 2 Shelter Lane, Oakland, NJ 07436, www.rbari.org