Obituary of Ernest Sokoly

Ernest Sokoly, 85, loving husband of Joan Sokoly passed away peacefully on May 8, 2014. He met Joan at a square dance, at the Wyckoff Grange in 1948 and she quickly became the love of his life. The couple was married for 63 years Ernie was devoted to his family; daughters Lynne Radicke, her husband Klaus and their daughter Larissa, Karin Guglielmino and her husband Carl, and his son Wayne, his wife Janet and their children Chris, Scott, and Katie. He is survived by two of his brothers, Michael and Robert and a very large number of nieces and nephews all of whom he loved. Ernie was born in Clymer, Pennsylvania in 1929 to Hungarian immigrants, Mary and Andrew, who was a coal miner for 45 years. Ernie was the second youngest of 15 children. The family moved to Wyckoff, New Jersey in 1939, escaping the coal mines and found a much better quality of life there. He was very proud of his Hungarian heritage and was a lifelong Pittsburg Pirates fan. Ernie and Joan settled in Waldwick in 1959 and lived there for 54 happy years. He was a passionate traveler throughout the US and Europe, with his favorite trip being the one to Budapest, of course. He was also an avid gardener who loved to see just how many tomato plants he could fit into his garden and just how many baseball bat size Zucchini squashes he could grow for his grandchildren! Ernie's favorite hobby was fishing. He caught thousands of trout from the streams of NY and NJ during his angling career. He loved to fish for bass and pike at his summer home on Lake Champlain. He was happiest fishing for anything. Ernie was famous for his "just one last cast " credo. At least twice it paid off handsomely! One time with a 35 pound striped bass and another time with a 8.5 pound Brown Trout from a small river in the Catskills. The Catskill last cast was followed with cries of "get the net!" Ernie once rescued a stranded dolphin on the beach in Cape Cod, returning it to the ocean none the worse for wear. He was a member of the Wyckoff Reformed Church for over 65 years. Ernie loved life and will be missed very much by the family that he loved so much. Visitation will be held on Monday, May 12, 2014 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM at Vander Plaat Funeral Home, (www.vpfh.com), 257 Godwin Ave., Wyckoff. The funeral service will be on Tuesday at 10:30 AM in the funeral home. Interment will follow at the Wyckoff Reformed Church Cemetery. Contributions in Ernest's memory may be made to the Parkinson's Research Foundation, 5969 Cattleridge Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34232 or that you buy a bouquet for someone special in your life.