Obituary of James "Jay" Van Delden

James “Jay” Van Delden, age 85, died Saturday, August 10, 2019, with his loving wife by his side at the Valley Hospital, Ridgewood.  Jay was born in Paterson, NJ, grew up in Prospect Park, and graduated from Hawthorne High School.  He served as a Corpsman at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida.  Jay received a Master’s degree in science and elementary education from Paterson State College.  Mr. V taught with love and passion for forty years in Oakland and Glen Rock, NJ.  For thirty years, he was the Tax Assessor for the Borough of Oakland.

Jay devoted time to the area communities as a member of the Oakland Franklin Lakes Rotary International, a sponsor for The Gift of Life, Berkeley College Foundation Board of Directors and the North Jersey Villages, Inc. Board of Directors. He was a teacher at Oasis in Paterson and a docent for the Friends of Barefoot Beach, Naples, Florida. 

Jay was predeceased by his parents, Helen and Jacob and his wife, Dorothy Yoke.  He is survived by his loving wife, Terry Riordan-Van Delden of Wyckoff, NJ, his beloved sons, Jay Scott Van Delden and his wife, Diane of Trumansburg, NY and Bradford Glenn Van Delden and his partner, Ken Mims of Dallas, TX and his two grandsons, Kyle and Kevin Van Delden.  He is also survived by his brother, Robert Van Delden and his wife, Diane of Greensboro, GA, his many devoted nieces and nephews, countless loyal friends, and his faithful pet, Luigi.  Jay loved life and he loved people.  Think of him and…... SMILE!

The family will receive friends at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home (www.vpfh.com), 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ on Tuesday, August 13, 2019, 3-7 PM. Prayers will begin at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, August 14, 2019, at the Funeral Home followed by a Mass of the Resurrection at 10:30 AM, St. Elizabeth RC Church, 700 Wyckoff Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ. The burial will follow at Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ. As an expression of sympathy, in lieu of flowers, donations in Jay’s memory may be made to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, 401 Hackensack Avenue, Hackensack, NJ 07601, American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 15829, Arlington, VA 22215 or North Jersey Villages, Inc., 233 Rock Road, Glen Rock, NJ 07452.