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November 22, 2017
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday, November 27, 2017 from 4-7 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, November 28, 2017 from the funeral home, then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, Wayne, where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Butler.
William T. Harkey, age 77 of Wayne, died on Wednesday, November 22, 2017. Bill had lived in Pompton Lakes before moving to Packanack Lake in 1990.
Bill lived in several towns during his younger years, including Belleville, Passaic, Rutherford and Lyndhurst, before his parents settled to a small log cabin in the Packanack Lake community. He went on to graduate from Wayne High School with the class of 1958 before joining the U.S. Army. Bill served in Northern Italy before being discharged and returning home.
Upon his return, Bill started working in the flexible packaging industry where he eventually became a salesman. This job literally changed his life. Bill was on a sales call to the Drake’s bakery in Wayne where he met Marion Giordano, who would soon become his wife. They exchanged vows on August 12, 1966 and have been inseparable for more than fifty years now. They enjoyed shopping together, watching TV together, and they took some great trips to places like London, Italy, and Ireland. Among their favorite TV shows to watch was Dancing with the Stars and earlier this year they were able to go see the show live in Los Angeles. Their sons treated them to VIP seats during the “final four” dance competition and they had a spectacular time. Bill’s sons recall their dad being there for them at all their sporting events and special occasions. Bill was much more than just a supportive dad and he would somehow work a lesson into every experience that the kids had. While they lived in Pompton Lakes, Bill was active coaching and leading the Pompton Lakes Youth Organization where he impacted the lives of many young people. He didn’t just stand on the sidelines but preferred to take an active role and make a difference in the lives of everyone he touched.
Bill was a stickler for detail and he always had to take an active role in seeing things done just right. For those of you who served with Bill on the Packanack Lake Board of Governors, or the Water Quality Commission, or if you decorated the clubhouse for Christmas with him, you know how important it was to him that things be done just so. He took pride in all these things and he was a man of principle who wasn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and get to work. Bill was also a member of the Angler’s Club and loved to go fishing up at Greenwood Lake or Lake Hopatcong. He also made a point of patronizing the local businesses around Packanack Lake because he understood how important they all are to the overall quality of the community. As a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, he became a Eucharistic Minister and enjoyed his church family there. They will all miss him dearly.
Bill is survived by his loving wife of fifty one years; Marion (nee Giordano) of Wayne, two sons; Michael Harkey and his wife Jennifer of Wanaque, and David Harkey of Wayne, two grandchildren; Jacob and Mikayla of Wanaque, a brother; Bob Harkey and his wife Mary Ellen of Connecticut, and many nieces and nephews.
Donations in Bill’s memory would be appreciated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday, November 27, 2017 from 4-7 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, November 28, 2017 from the funeral home, then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, Wayne, where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Butler.
November 22, 2017
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday, November 27, 2017 from 4-7 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, November 28, 2017 from the funeral home, then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, Wayne, where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Butler.
William T. Harkey, age 77 of Wayne, died on Wednesday, November 22, 2017. Bill had lived in Pompton Lakes before moving to Packanack Lake in 1990.
Bill lived in several towns during his younger years, including Belleville, Passaic, Rutherford and Lyndhurst, before his parents settled to a small log cabin in the Packanack Lake community. He went on to graduate from Wayne High School with the class of 1958 before joining the U.S. Army. Bill served in Northern Italy before being discharged and returning home.
Upon his return, Bill started working in the flexible packaging industry where he eventually became a salesman. This job literally changed his life. Bill was on a sales call to the Drake’s bakery in Wayne where he met Marion Giordano, who would soon become his wife. They exchanged vows on August 12, 1966 and have been inseparable for more than fifty years now. They enjoyed shopping together, watching TV together, and they took some great trips to places like London, Italy, and Ireland. Among their favorite TV shows to watch was Dancing with the Stars and earlier this year they were able to go see the show live in Los Angeles. Their sons treated them to VIP seats during the “final four” dance competition and they had a spectacular time. Bill’s sons recall their dad being there for them at all their sporting events and special occasions. Bill was much more than just a supportive dad and he would somehow work a lesson into every experience that the kids had. While they lived in Pompton Lakes, Bill was active coaching and leading the Pompton Lakes Youth Organization where he impacted the lives of many young people. He didn’t just stand on the sidelines but preferred to take an active role and make a difference in the lives of everyone he touched.
Bill was a stickler for detail and he always had to take an active role in seeing things done just right. For those of you who served with Bill on the Packanack Lake Board of Governors, or the Water Quality Commission, or if you decorated the clubhouse for Christmas with him, you know how important it was to him that things be done just so. He took pride in all these things and he was a man of principle who wasn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and get to work. Bill was also a member of the Angler’s Club and loved to go fishing up at Greenwood Lake or Lake Hopatcong. He also made a point of patronizing the local businesses around Packanack Lake because he understood how important they all are to the overall quality of the community. As a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, he became a Eucharistic Minister and enjoyed his church family there. They will all miss him dearly.
Bill is survived by his loving wife of fifty one years; Marion (nee Giordano) of Wayne, two sons; Michael Harkey and his wife Jennifer of Wanaque, and David Harkey of Wayne, two grandchildren; Jacob and Mikayla of Wanaque, a brother; Bob Harkey and his wife Mary Ellen of Connecticut, and many nieces and nephews.
Donations in Bill’s memory would be appreciated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959.
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