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Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 from 2-4 and 7-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, January 29, 2015, 10:30 AM at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Totowa.
William J. Parkin, age 90, of Wayne, passed peacefully on Sunday, January 25, 2015.
Born and raised in Paterson, Bill was the oldest of Joseph and Mary Parkin’s three sons. From the time he was a young boy, Bill had a great love for America’s pastime – baseball. His favorite position was catcher and he played on Paterson’s Eastside High School team with Larry Doby, the first African-American player to play Major League Baseball in the American League and the second player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier. After graduating from Eastside High School with the Class of 1942, Bill promptly enlisted in the United States Navy and proudly served for four years, during World War II in the New Hebrides Islands in the South Pacific region, as a member of the Seabee Construction Battalion. For his service to his country Bill was honored with the Asiatic Pacific Medal, the American Theatre Medal, and the Victory Medal, but one of his proudest accomplishments was entertaining wounded soldiers by playing baseball for them.
The war ended in 1946 and Bill returned home. Blessed with a great mind and the experience that he gained from his service in the Navy, Bill went to work as an electrician with ADT Security Services in Paterson. With his father as his foreman, Bill derived great satisfaction from this work and he enjoyed the comradery and family atmosphere that was part of the culture of ADT at the time. After a long career spanning forty-two years, he retired in 1990, but soon found out that full-time retirement wasn’t for him. Six months later he took a job with Pollution Control Industries (PCI) in West Caldwell where he worked as a handyman in the electrical department for approximately eight more years. He loved the work and the flexible hours that afforded him the time to travel or do whatever he wanted.
Bill met his beloved wife Dorothy one day while watching his mother compete in a bowling competition. Dorothy was at the bowling alley with her girlfriends from secretarial school and, recognizing one of those girls, Bill just couldn’t resist the compulsion to walk up and introduce himself to the rest of them. He asked if they came to the bowling alley often and they told him about once a week. The next week, Bill brought some of his friends and, after bowling, they all went to the Amber Lantern, a restaurant behind the bowling alley in Paterson. There was a small dance floor there and that day Bill won Dorothy’s heart with his outstanding dance moves and pleasant, outgoing personality. They eventually married on Saturday, August 23, 1947 at Dorothy’s church, Paterson Avenue Methodist Church in Paterson. After enjoying a reception at The Morningside, known today as the Morningside Florist and Greenhouse on West Broadway in Haledon, they hopped on a Greyhound bus headed for their honeymoon in the Poconos.
After their honeymoon, the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Parkin settled in Paterson in Dorothy’s mother’s house, right next door to their church. During the eight years that they lived there Bill became very active in the ministries of that church. Over the course of the rest of his life he served in many capacities including as a trustee, Sunday School superintendent, youth group leader and all-around handyman. (Bill was very handy and could fix just about anything.) He was a great help to the church in this capacity and was always eager to do what he could to rectify just about any situation that arose. Bill also loved singing in the Church’s choir, and, although he didn’t sing any particular part, he had a beautiful voice and always made a joyful noise! Dorothy was involved in the Church’s Girl Scout group and Bill even served as an honorary Girl Scout leader.
Bill and Dorothy were blessed with three beautiful girls, Pat, Pam, and Penny, and in 1955 they built a new home in Wayne where they have remained to the present time. Throughout all these years, Bill and Dorothy remained active in their church and although the church changed its name to New Birth United Methodist Church, Bill’s love, service, and devotion for it never changed.
Throughout his life Bill kept active in a myriad of ways. After his Navy days, he played for the Chevy Red Sox, a semi-pro baseball team. In that league he played against Hall of Fame New York Yankee pitcher Whitey Ford and in the 1980’s Bill himself was inducted into the Bergen County Baseball Hall of Fame. His entire family was there for the ceremony and it was a proud moment for Bill. When Bill’s playing days were over, his love of baseball manifested itself in coaching. He began his coaching career in Wayne’s Little League teams, and eventually moved up to coaching in the Connie Mack League, where his team won the State Championship. He also had the opportunity to coach his daughter Penny’s softball teams, and eventually coached his grandsons’ little league teams. Bill also loved to play golf. In some respects, he couldn’t wait to retire from ADT so that he could spend more time lowering his score. He lived right near the Passaic County Golf Course and he typically got together with his buddies a couple of times a week to play. In retirement, Bill also took up oil painting. He took classes and soon proved to be a natural. He also became interested in wood-working and he made all kinds of neat things out of wood. His family would see something somewhere that they liked and they would often ask him if he could replicate it. Bill would make some sketches and his finished products were usually as close as what they saw or even better!
Bill was never happier than when all or part of his family was together. He loved to be near the ocean and when the girls were young the family regularly spent summer days at Silver Beach on the Jersey shore. His family recalls how he’d load the car for those trips. It looked like the Beverly Hillbillies’ car, loaded inside and out, with everyone tightly packed inside, including the family’s two dogs. As his family grew and grandchildren and great-grandchildren came along, the whole family gathered on Long Beach Island at Barnegat Light. Everyone was impressed with Bill’s great body surfing skills and agreed he was the best – even better than his own grandsons!
When Bill retired from ADT and went to work for PCI, that new job afforded him the freedom to come and go as he pleased. He and Dorothy got to see a lot of the world in those years making trips to the U.K, Mexico, Ireland, Germany, Hawaii, Alaska, Bermuda, and the Canadian Rockies as well as much of the USA, with good friends George and Jessie frequently joining them. Numerous repeated trips were made to Disney World in Florida and, for their 50th wedding anniversary, they got to be the grand marshals in the Disney parade. Bill loved to participate in the life of his grandchildren too. He and Dorothy traveled to Ireland to see granddaughter Becky perform in Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, grandson John in his choir tour through France, Germany and Switzerland, and to grandsons Ray and Ryan’s Tusculum College baseball games throughout the South, to name a few.
Bill’s memory will be cherished by all who knew him. He was absolutely loved and adored by everyone. His hunger for life was contagious. He always had a happy disposition and a smile on his face, except when he was not happy with an umpire’s call and even then, it was just meant to keep that umpire in his place. Bill was all about family, friends and traditions. He got excited every year at Christmas because he loved the holiday and the fact that his whole family was gathered together. He adored his beloved wife Dorothy and they enjoyed over 67 years in a blessed marriage.
Bill is survived by his beloved wife Dorothy; his three much-loved daughters: Patricia and husband Joseph Carr of Long Valley, Pamela and husband William Murphy of Livingston, and Penny and husband John Dimmick of Indianapolis, IN; eleven adored grandchildren: Raymond and wife Laura, Ryan and wife Jennifer, Heather and husband Aaron, Rebecca and husband Derek, Rachel and husband Jon, Meghan and husband Chris, Billy, Amanda, John, Sean and Joshua; twelve cherished great-grandchildren: Taylor, Andrew, Will, Jonathan, Timothy, Kaya, Logan, Tanner, Tyler, Jacob, Harper and Molly; and his brother Joseph and wife Gina Higgins of Wyckoff. He was predeceased by his brother John Parkin.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in William’s name are asked to consider the Alzheimer’s Association Greater New Jersey Chapter, 400 Morris Ave., Suite 251, Denville, NJ 07834, or Hospice of New Jersey, 400 Broadacres Drive, Bloomfield, NJ 07003.
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 Wednesday, January 28, 2015 from 2-4 and 7-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, January 29, 2015, 10:30 AM at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Totowa.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 from 2-4 and 7-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, January 29, 2015, 10:30 AM at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Totowa.
William J. Parkin, age 90, of Wayne, passed peacefully on Sunday, January 25, 2015.
Born and raised in Paterson, Bill was the oldest of Joseph and Mary Parkin’s three sons. From the time he was a young boy, Bill had a great love for America’s pastime – baseball. His favorite position was catcher and he played on Paterson’s Eastside High School team with Larry Doby, the first African-American player to play Major League Baseball in the American League and the second player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier. After graduating from Eastside High School with the Class of 1942, Bill promptly enlisted in the United States Navy and proudly served for four years, during World War II in the New Hebrides Islands in the South Pacific region, as a member of the Seabee Construction Battalion. For his service to his country Bill was honored with the Asiatic Pacific Medal, the American Theatre Medal, and the Victory Medal, but one of his proudest accomplishments was entertaining wounded soldiers by playing baseball for them.
The war ended in 1946 and Bill returned home. Blessed with a great mind and the experience that he gained from his service in the Navy, Bill went to work as an electrician with ADT Security Services in Paterson. With his father as his foreman, Bill derived great satisfaction from this work and he enjoyed the comradery and family atmosphere that was part of the culture of ADT at the time. After a long career spanning forty-two years, he retired in 1990, but soon found out that full-time retirement wasn’t for him. Six months later he took a job with Pollution Control Industries (PCI) in West Caldwell where he worked as a handyman in the electrical department for approximately eight more years. He loved the work and the flexible hours that afforded him the time to travel or do whatever he wanted.
Bill met his beloved wife Dorothy one day while watching his mother compete in a bowling competition. Dorothy was at the bowling alley with her girlfriends from secretarial school and, recognizing one of those girls, Bill just couldn’t resist the compulsion to walk up and introduce himself to the rest of them. He asked if they came to the bowling alley often and they told him about once a week. The next week, Bill brought some of his friends and, after bowling, they all went to the Amber Lantern, a restaurant behind the bowling alley in Paterson. There was a small dance floor there and that day Bill won Dorothy’s heart with his outstanding dance moves and pleasant, outgoing personality. They eventually married on Saturday, August 23, 1947 at Dorothy’s church, Paterson Avenue Methodist Church in Paterson. After enjoying a reception at The Morningside, known today as the Morningside Florist and Greenhouse on West Broadway in Haledon, they hopped on a Greyhound bus headed for their honeymoon in the Poconos.
After their honeymoon, the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Parkin settled in Paterson in Dorothy’s mother’s house, right next door to their church. During the eight years that they lived there Bill became very active in the ministries of that church. Over the course of the rest of his life he served in many capacities including as a trustee, Sunday School superintendent, youth group leader and all-around handyman. (Bill was very handy and could fix just about anything.) He was a great help to the church in this capacity and was always eager to do what he could to rectify just about any situation that arose. Bill also loved singing in the Church’s choir, and, although he didn’t sing any particular part, he had a beautiful voice and always made a joyful noise! Dorothy was involved in the Church’s Girl Scout group and Bill even served as an honorary Girl Scout leader.
Bill and Dorothy were blessed with three beautiful girls, Pat, Pam, and Penny, and in 1955 they built a new home in Wayne where they have remained to the present time. Throughout all these years, Bill and Dorothy remained active in their church and although the church changed its name to New Birth United Methodist Church, Bill’s love, service, and devotion for it never changed.
Throughout his life Bill kept active in a myriad of ways. After his Navy days, he played for the Chevy Red Sox, a semi-pro baseball team. In that league he played against Hall of Fame New York Yankee pitcher Whitey Ford and in the 1980’s Bill himself was inducted into the Bergen County Baseball Hall of Fame. His entire family was there for the ceremony and it was a proud moment for Bill. When Bill’s playing days were over, his love of baseball manifested itself in coaching. He began his coaching career in Wayne’s Little League teams, and eventually moved up to coaching in the Connie Mack League, where his team won the State Championship. He also had the opportunity to coach his daughter Penny’s softball teams, and eventually coached his grandsons’ little league teams. Bill also loved to play golf. In some respects, he couldn’t wait to retire from ADT so that he could spend more time lowering his score. He lived right near the Passaic County Golf Course and he typically got together with his buddies a couple of times a week to play. In retirement, Bill also took up oil painting. He took classes and soon proved to be a natural. He also became interested in wood-working and he made all kinds of neat things out of wood. His family would see something somewhere that they liked and they would often ask him if he could replicate it. Bill would make some sketches and his finished products were usually as close as what they saw or even better!
Bill was never happier than when all or part of his family was together. He loved to be near the ocean and when the girls were young the family regularly spent summer days at Silver Beach on the Jersey shore. His family recalls how he’d load the car for those trips. It looked like the Beverly Hillbillies’ car, loaded inside and out, with everyone tightly packed inside, including the family’s two dogs. As his family grew and grandchildren and great-grandchildren came along, the whole family gathered on Long Beach Island at Barnegat Light. Everyone was impressed with Bill’s great body surfing skills and agreed he was the best – even better than his own grandsons!
When Bill retired from ADT and went to work for PCI, that new job afforded him the freedom to come and go as he pleased. He and Dorothy got to see a lot of the world in those years making trips to the U.K, Mexico, Ireland, Germany, Hawaii, Alaska, Bermuda, and the Canadian Rockies as well as much of the USA, with good friends George and Jessie frequently joining them. Numerous repeated trips were made to Disney World in Florida and, for their 50th wedding anniversary, they got to be the grand marshals in the Disney parade. Bill loved to participate in the life of his grandchildren too. He and Dorothy traveled to Ireland to see granddaughter Becky perform in Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, grandson John in his choir tour through France, Germany and Switzerland, and to grandsons Ray and Ryan’s Tusculum College baseball games throughout the South, to name a few.
Bill’s memory will be cherished by all who knew him. He was absolutely loved and adored by everyone. His hunger for life was contagious. He always had a happy disposition and a smile on his face, except when he was not happy with an umpire’s call and even then, it was just meant to keep that umpire in his place. Bill was all about family, friends and traditions. He got excited every year at Christmas because he loved the holiday and the fact that his whole family was gathered together. He adored his beloved wife Dorothy and they enjoyed over 67 years in a blessed marriage.
Bill is survived by his beloved wife Dorothy; his three much-loved daughters: Patricia and husband Joseph Carr of Long Valley, Pamela and husband William Murphy of Livingston, and Penny and husband John Dimmick of Indianapolis, IN; eleven adored grandchildren: Raymond and wife Laura, Ryan and wife Jennifer, Heather and husband Aaron, Rebecca and husband Derek, Rachel and husband Jon, Meghan and husband Chris, Billy, Amanda, John, Sean and Joshua; twelve cherished great-grandchildren: Taylor, Andrew, Will, Jonathan, Timothy, Kaya, Logan, Tanner, Tyler, Jacob, Harper and Molly; and his brother Joseph and wife Gina Higgins of Wyckoff. He was predeceased by his brother John Parkin.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in William’s name are asked to consider the Alzheimer’s Association Greater New Jersey Chapter, 400 Morris Ave., Suite 251, Denville, NJ 07834, or Hospice of New Jersey, 400 Broadacres Drive, Bloomfield, NJ 07003.
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