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January 10, 2014
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 from 4-8 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 10 AM on Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Redeemer Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ.
William J. Minnich, age 47 of Wayne died suddenly and unexpectedly on Friday, January 10, 2014. He had been a lifelong resident of Wayne.
Billy was a graduate of Wayne Hills High School, class of 1984. He had been working more than twenty years with the Wayne Township Water Department. He also volunteered as a driver with the Wayne Memorial First Aid Squad. He quickly became friends with everyone and can claim more than three thousand friends on Facebook! Billy had a gift for conversation and he could make you feel as though you were the most important person in the world when you spoke with him. He cherished all of his friends. He could have been the world’s greatest salesman and perhaps he missed his true calling. He was Associate Member Recruit Director for FOP Lodge 181. He was extremely active in supporting charitable organizations for wounded veterans and families of injured police officers. He also enjoyed getting involved in local politics and became very active during campaign season; putting up lawn signs and promoting his favorite candidates. He ran for council ward once and although he did not win, he found it quite funny that his reluctant running mate (his wife) received even more votes than he did!
Since the time Billy was a little kid, his life has been one funny story after another. The first time his parents let him go potty by himself; they opened the bathroom door to check in, only to find Billy wrapped like a mummy in toilet paper! When his baby sister came home from the hospital, all Billy could say was; “take her back.” His first lesson in fire safety is unclear, but it could have been the time he nearly burned the house down with firecrackers, or when he and his friend dug a deep tunnel in the yard, lined the floor with straw hay and then illuminated the tunnel with candles! During the Christmas season one year, Billy somehow acquired his own Christmas tree, albeit a small one, that he set up in his bedroom. His parents were unsure of where he got it, until they noticed that one of their neighbor’s shrubs was missing the top three feet! There was also the time his father gave him a brand new BMX bike, only to find the bare frame a few weeks later. When asked what happened, Billy said the parts were worth more than the bike, so he stripped it down and sold all the pieces to his friends! Surely there are many more stories Billy authored throughout is life. His smile, big heart and antics are his legacy. He will live eternally in the hearts and laughter of his family and friends.
Billy was also an animal lover his entire life. Feeding the birds and wildlife in his backyard was a joy and he would sometimes feed apples to the visiting deer. Just recently, he was able to rescue a deer that had gotten ensnared in one of the township soccer nets. Billy was the only one willing to get near enough to cut the deer free, using his bare hands and a small knife. At home, he has a yellow-naped parrot named Caesar that’s thirty three years old and, despite being together for so many years, he only recently was able to get the bird to climb onto his finger. Billy’s pit bulls are his pride and joy; he treated Tyson and Skylar like children and often referred to them as his “little girl” and “little boy.” They were extremely loyal to him and protect his home better than any alarm system ever could. Most visitors will attest to that.
Billy’s greatest hobby was his Xbox One. He has a game room with surround sound and he would crank the volume up as loud as it would go. He loved playing Call of Duty and Battlefield into the wee hours of the morning. Second to his Xbox was his iPhone – something he would find impossible to live without. When his wife Linda suggested that he surrender his iPhone for one day, he nearly had a panic attack. He also loved to eat and is surely among one of the world’s fastest eaters. He would clean his plate, and then start reaching for the food on your plate, if you happened to be at the same table. “You’re not going to eat all of that, are you?” were words he uttered at nearly every meal. He surely wasn’t shy about it. He worked hard to maintain his weight, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying a good meal. He loved seafood and recently went to Iberia in Newark with Linda, ordering a five pound lobster. As he savored every bite, getting near the end, he said to Linda; “I don’t want it to end…” He loved everything at Kinchley’s Tavern in Ramsey but especially loved his mother’s homemade potato soup and chicken pot pie.
Billy’s wife Linda is forever grateful to their dear friend Lenny Lanza. It was Lenny who set them up on a blind date back in 2000. Billy and Linda hit it off and were married the following year, on June 8, 2001. Linda describes Billy as simply a “wonderful guy” and their twelve years together have been lots of fun. Billy’s daughter, Alissabeth, would agree; her father was a very loving dad and would do anything for her. They will miss him dearly.
Billy is survived by his beloved wife Linda of Wayne, his dear daughter Alissabeth Minnich of Putnam Valley, NY, his parents; William and Agnes Minnich of Lakewood, NJ (formerly of Wayne), his sister Deborah Lougheed and her husband Scott of Wayne, his grandmother; Martha Rupp of Oakland, and many aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and cousins.
Those planning an expression of sympathy in Billy’s memory are asked to consider the Wayne Memorial First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 2004, Wayne, NJ 07474 or the Wayne Animal Shelter, 201 Pompton Plains Crossroad, Wayne, NJ 07470.
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 Tuesday, January 14, 2014 from 4-8 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 10 AM on Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Redeemer Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ.
January 10, 2014
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 from 4-8 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 10 AM on Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Redeemer Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ.
William J. Minnich, age 47 of Wayne died suddenly and unexpectedly on Friday, January 10, 2014. He had been a lifelong resident of Wayne.
Billy was a graduate of Wayne Hills High School, class of 1984. He had been working more than twenty years with the Wayne Township Water Department. He also volunteered as a driver with the Wayne Memorial First Aid Squad. He quickly became friends with everyone and can claim more than three thousand friends on Facebook! Billy had a gift for conversation and he could make you feel as though you were the most important person in the world when you spoke with him. He cherished all of his friends. He could have been the world’s greatest salesman and perhaps he missed his true calling. He was Associate Member Recruit Director for FOP Lodge 181. He was extremely active in supporting charitable organizations for wounded veterans and families of injured police officers. He also enjoyed getting involved in local politics and became very active during campaign season; putting up lawn signs and promoting his favorite candidates. He ran for council ward once and although he did not win, he found it quite funny that his reluctant running mate (his wife) received even more votes than he did!
Since the time Billy was a little kid, his life has been one funny story after another. The first time his parents let him go potty by himself; they opened the bathroom door to check in, only to find Billy wrapped like a mummy in toilet paper! When his baby sister came home from the hospital, all Billy could say was; “take her back.” His first lesson in fire safety is unclear, but it could have been the time he nearly burned the house down with firecrackers, or when he and his friend dug a deep tunnel in the yard, lined the floor with straw hay and then illuminated the tunnel with candles! During the Christmas season one year, Billy somehow acquired his own Christmas tree, albeit a small one, that he set up in his bedroom. His parents were unsure of where he got it, until they noticed that one of their neighbor’s shrubs was missing the top three feet! There was also the time his father gave him a brand new BMX bike, only to find the bare frame a few weeks later. When asked what happened, Billy said the parts were worth more than the bike, so he stripped it down and sold all the pieces to his friends! Surely there are many more stories Billy authored throughout is life. His smile, big heart and antics are his legacy. He will live eternally in the hearts and laughter of his family and friends.
Billy was also an animal lover his entire life. Feeding the birds and wildlife in his backyard was a joy and he would sometimes feed apples to the visiting deer. Just recently, he was able to rescue a deer that had gotten ensnared in one of the township soccer nets. Billy was the only one willing to get near enough to cut the deer free, using his bare hands and a small knife. At home, he has a yellow-naped parrot named Caesar that’s thirty three years old and, despite being together for so many years, he only recently was able to get the bird to climb onto his finger. Billy’s pit bulls are his pride and joy; he treated Tyson and Skylar like children and often referred to them as his “little girl” and “little boy.” They were extremely loyal to him and protect his home better than any alarm system ever could. Most visitors will attest to that.
Billy’s greatest hobby was his Xbox One. He has a game room with surround sound and he would crank the volume up as loud as it would go. He loved playing Call of Duty and Battlefield into the wee hours of the morning. Second to his Xbox was his iPhone – something he would find impossible to live without. When his wife Linda suggested that he surrender his iPhone for one day, he nearly had a panic attack. He also loved to eat and is surely among one of the world’s fastest eaters. He would clean his plate, and then start reaching for the food on your plate, if you happened to be at the same table. “You’re not going to eat all of that, are you?” were words he uttered at nearly every meal. He surely wasn’t shy about it. He worked hard to maintain his weight, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying a good meal. He loved seafood and recently went to Iberia in Newark with Linda, ordering a five pound lobster. As he savored every bite, getting near the end, he said to Linda; “I don’t want it to end…” He loved everything at Kinchley’s Tavern in Ramsey but especially loved his mother’s homemade potato soup and chicken pot pie.
Billy’s wife Linda is forever grateful to their dear friend Lenny Lanza. It was Lenny who set them up on a blind date back in 2000. Billy and Linda hit it off and were married the following year, on June 8, 2001. Linda describes Billy as simply a “wonderful guy” and their twelve years together have been lots of fun. Billy’s daughter, Alissabeth, would agree; her father was a very loving dad and would do anything for her. They will miss him dearly.
Billy is survived by his beloved wife Linda of Wayne, his dear daughter Alissabeth Minnich of Putnam Valley, NY, his parents; William and Agnes Minnich of Lakewood, NJ (formerly of Wayne), his sister Deborah Lougheed and her husband Scott of Wayne, his grandmother; Martha Rupp of Oakland, and many aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and cousins.
Those planning an expression of sympathy in Billy’s memory are asked to consider the Wayne Memorial First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 2004, Wayne, NJ 07474 or the Wayne Animal Shelter, 201 Pompton Plains Crossroad, Wayne, NJ 07470.
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