Raymond John Bosma

Raymond John Bosma Sr, age 77, of Pompton Lakes passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 31, 2021 while receiving the loving care of his family.

Raymond was born in Paterson and was raised in Fair Lawn. He was the only child to Raymond and Elizabeth Bosma.  While growing up in Fair Lawn, Ray attended Eastern Christian High School in North Haledon.  He graduated with the class of 1962 then enrolled at Rutgers University.  While Ray was at Rutgers for a couple of years he concurrently was employed at the First National Bank of NJ in Passaic County.  He was working in the mailroom, when he was offered an opportunity to learn computer programming.  Ray seized the opportunity and became a Computer Programmer for First National Bank.  Ray climbed his way up the corporate ladder eventually earning the position of Assistant Vice President.  Throughout the years Ray continued to remain in the banking industry through several mergers.  Ray’s career in banking spanned a period of over forty-six years and was work that he truly loved until his retirement in 2008.

During his early employment at First National Bank of NJ in 1963, he worked alongside a young attractive lady named Diane Guldemann.  Diane was employed at First National as a Keypuncher. The two hit it off great and started dating.  Their first date was to the 1963 World’s Fair.  While on line to view one of the main exhibits, Ray offered to get Diane a soft-drink.  As Ray bent over to get under the rope keeping folks in line he split his pants wide open.  Luckily Ray was wearing a long sports jacket and was able to conceal the tear.  The two laughed hysterically and had a wonderful time.  Diane and Ray dated for about four years and as fate would have it they fell in love.

During the time they were dating, Ray was a part of the Army National Guard.  Ray trained and served honorably from 1964 to 1966 and spent several years in the Reserves.  After his honorable discharge from the Guard, Ray and Diane got engaged on Thanksgiving and became husband and wife on April 15, 1967.  They were married at Cedar Cliff Methodist Church in Haledon.

After getting married, Ray and Diane moved to Pompton Lakes and remained there for about seven years.  While living in Pompton Lakes, the couple welcomed the birth of their first son, Raymond, Jr.  The family moved to Wayne in 1976 where they welcomed their second son Douglas a few years later.  Ray and Diane raised their children in Wayne until moving back to Pompton Lakes in 2016. 

Ray was a devoted father and was always there for his children.  Both of his sons participated in the Wayne Hills High School Marching Band and during that time, Ray acted as their Treasurer. Ray chaperoned many of the band trips as well as help organize and participate in many fundraisers.  Ray and his family were members of the First Christian Reformed Church in Haledon for many years.  There, Ray was a very active member and served as a Deacon. 

Ray enjoyed coin and stamp collecting throughout his life, but his true passion was banking and figuring out the numbers. Any form of puzzle, crossword, word search or board game he was up to the challenge.  If Ray had to pick one place in the world to be, it would be the beach.  Ray cherished frequenting any and all of the Jersey Shore points as he loved being on the beach and in the water.  One of his favorite past times while there was body surfing.  Throughout the years, Ray and his family took countless day trips to the shore points and annual vacations to Cape Cod.  Ray was always a believer that you didn't need a lot of money to have a good time. Many times he and his family just would pack a few sandwiches and head out to the beach or to a lake where they would picnic, and spend quality time together.  Ray was also a fan of the amusement parks.  He enjoyed riding the roller coasters and other rides with his children and grandchildren.  Even as late at age 70 he could be found on rides like Kingda Ka at Great Adventure!

Ray was a music fan and loved to listen to artists such as Jim Neighbors, Peter Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel, and later he took a liking to Elvis Presley’s gospel music.  But aside from all of Ray’s hobbies, talents, and interests, his greatest passion was for his family.  Nothing in the world meant more to Ray than providing for and spending time with his wife, children, and his grandchildren.  Ray and Diane cherished fifty-four years of loving and loyal marriage together.  Ray was a very special person who touched the lives of many people and will be missed by everyone that knew him. 

Ray is survived by his wife Diane (nee Guldemann) of Pompton Lakes, two sons; Raymond Bosma, Jr. and his fiancé Jennifer Eckhardt of Oakland, Douglas Bosma and his wife Bettina of CO, five grandchildren; Connor, Patrick, Kendall, Nicholas, and William.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Ray’s name may be made to Alzheimer’s New Jersey,425 Eagle Rock Ave, Suite 203, Roseland, NJ 07068  . https://www.alz.org