Walter Bondarovich

Walter Bondarovich, age 97, formerly of Wayne, passed peacefully on Sunday, October 9, 2022.

He was born and delivered by a midwife at the family home on Homer Avenue in Nutley.  The family lived in Nutley, Newark, and Flemington through his younger years.  He eventually lived in Lodi before moving to Wayne where he lived for fifty-eight years before moving to Mount Arlington Senior Living about 3 ½ years ago.  Walter graduated from South Side High School in Newark with the Class of 1943.

On October 9, 1943 Walter entered active duty in the United States Army and served during WWII. He served as a Radio Operator in Central Europe, Rhineland, Northern France. He would recount that he was in the second wave during the invasion of Normandy and liberated two concentration camps during his two and a half years of service where he ascended to the rank of Corporal.  He was discharged on March 3, 1946 and awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the European African Middle Eastern Service Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

Walter met his future wife, Olga  during a dance at Three Saints Church in Garfield. They danced the whole night together, but neglected to exchange phone numbers. It was a year later before their paths would cross again in Monroe, NY. Walter had been working the summer at the Arrow Farm Resort when, by sheer coincidence, Olga showed up! After that, they never parted. They loved to dance and knew many of the Russian folk dances. They were married on August 12, 1950 and, despite Walter accidentally lighting her veil on fire with a candle, they’ve enjoyed nearly sixty four years of loving and devoted marriage together before Olga’s passing on July 16, 2014.

Walter’s work history started in his youth where he would shine shoes utilizing a shoe-shine box that he kept and is now passing along to his family. He worked as a stock-boy at the A&P Food Store in Newark and eventually became an Independent Insurance Agent for the Motor Club of America before retiring after forty years of service.

He will be lovingly remembered as a great dad who prioritized his family over everything. His children have fond memories of trips, vacations, car rides to Atlantic City, beach trips to the Jersey Shore, and many trips to Disney World in Florida. He enjoyed working on his cars in his spare time.

He was the loving husband of the late Olga Bondarovich (d. 2014); loving father of Elaine Brady and her husband Jim of McCormick, SC, and Diane Wehrenberg and her husband Karl of Hopatcong; he was the dearly loved grandfather of Karl Wehrenberg, Jr.; he was predeceased by his sibling James Bondarovich and Anna Kinder.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research would be greatly appreciated.