William A. “Bud” Galbo, age 91, formerly of Barnegat and Paramus passed away peacefully on Saturday April 14, 2018 in the presence of and while receiving the loving care of his family.

William was born and raised in Meadville, PA to Joseph and Sarah Galbo, and one of six children.  Like many of the people of “The Greatest Generation”, William grew up during the deprivation of the “Great Depression”, and later as young adults, bore witness to the Second World War.  After graduating High School in 1944, William felt in his heart, the call to serve and protect his country.  He immediately enlisted in the United States Army.  He was placed in, what was known at the time as, the Army Air Corps, which later became the US Air Force.  During his time in the Army Air Corps, William was a Gunnery Instructor for the B-29 Bomber, also known as the B-29 Superfortress.  William’s service in the US Military had a profound effect on him and was something that he was very proud of throughout his entire life.

After being honorably discharged from the Army Air Corps in 1946, William decided to further his education.  He was a graduate of the Radio and Television Institute in New York City.  From there he would embark on an exciting and fulfilling career.  His initial position following his graduation in 1945 was a TV Service Manager for a company called General Supply, a chain of stores in New Jersey.  Later in 1952, William took a position at a company called Avion, where he worked on the development of the Sidewinder SAM Missile.  There he also contributed his efforts in missile programs such as Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.  William also personally processed all of the Discovery transponders and command systems for the polar orbits out of the Vanderberg, CA site, working with Philco-Ford and Lockheed.

Subsequent to his years at Avion, William worked as a Quality Assurance Manager for Magnavox Government and Industrial Electronics Company.  There, in the Electro-Optics Division, he worked and developed the Philips PC-80 Color Camera, which was used by all major networks to convert Black and White film to Color.  He was also involved in the development of the first portable cameras used in conventions and sporting events.  William also lent his efforts in the conversion of the Philips European VCR to US standard 525 lines in an effort to compete with Japanese companies such as Sony and Panasonic.  Later William also participated in the initial deployment of the first low level pulsed x-ray baggage system at airports including Eastern Airline in LaGuardia, Piedmont Airlines in Washington DC, and TWA in Philadelphia.  He also worked on many Infrared systems and cryogenic products used by the military for missile, tank, reconnaissance, and covert operations.  William eventually retired in 1988 and then took a job at the pro shop in Paramus Golf Club.  This was the perfect job for William because he was an avid golfer to say the least.

Every day on his way to work, when William was a young man, he passed a bus stop and noticed an attractive young lady waiting for the bus each morning.  That lady’s name was Jean Ippolito. William would purposely travel the same route each day to get a glimpse of her.  After a number of times practicing this ritual, William decided to finally ask her out.  They started dating and as fate would have it they fell in love and were married on Easter Sunday March 28, 1948 at St. Cecelia’s RC Church in Englewood and honeymooned in Niagara Falls.  Jean and William settled in Paramus and lived there for fifty-four years raising their three children.  Throughout William’s rewarding and adventurous career, he was able to travel all over the world.  Every chance he could, he would bring his wife Jean with him.  Jean and William cherished fifty-eight years of loving and loyal marriage together until Jean’s passing in 2006.  In 2004 Jean and William moved to Barnegat, and following Jean’s passing, William moved to Cedar Crest Village in Pompton Plains.  

William was not only an avid golfer but also a Football fan.  He was devoted to his Catholic Faith and he and his wife Jean were parishioners of Our Lady of the Visitation in Paramus for many years.  William was also the “Keeper of the Family Tree.”  Throughout the years William corresponded through letters with people in Italy, searching for his family’s ancestry (before through ancestry.com), and made contact with several relatives.  This was also something that effected William’s life in a special way.  Aside from all of William’s accomplishments, hobbies and interests, his greatest love was for his family.  Nothing meant more to William than spending time with and providing for his family.  He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.  He was an extraordinary person, who lived an extraordinary life and will be sincerely missed by all who knew him.

William is survived by his two daughters Christine Waller of Mahwah, and Laura Ehlers and her husband Michael of Mahwah, one son William A. Galbo, II and his wife Janet of Bergen County, one brother Philip Galbo of Meadville, PA, four grandchildren; Jennifer Pellicano and her husband Frank of Mahwah, Craig Waller and his wife Jessica of Fairlawn, Kimberly Venezia and her husband Michael of Pompton Plains, and Michael Ehlers and his wife Kristen of Oakland, and eight great-grandchildren Mia, Frankie, Samantha, Boe, Camryn, Nate, Jax, and Vita Jean. He was predeceased by his loving wife Jean Galbo (nee Ippolito) in 2006, and four siblings; Joseph, Angie, Mary, and Sam.