Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • September 4, 2013 Midland Park J. William Van Dyke, former freeholder, mayor dies Midland Park’s elder statesman, J. William Van Dyke, a lifelong resident who dedicated himself to his hometown and the community at large, died Aug. 27. He was 76. “Bill was the definition of a perfect gentleman. He was always reliable, dependable and willing to assist the bor- ough of Midland Park in any way or fashion. He’s truly going to be missed in so many different ways,” commented Midland Park Mayor Patrick “Bud” O’Hagan. The chairman of the Midland Park Republican Munici- pal Committee and president of the Midland Park Board of Health and Northwest Bergen Regional Health Commis- sion at the time of his death, Mr. Van Dyke served as a councilman and mayor of Midland Park for more than 10 years and on the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freehold- ers from 1986 to 2001, including four terms as chairman and vice chairman. He chaired the powerful North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, earning a well-deserved state and national reputation in the transportation field, and the Bergen County Highway Safety Advisory Committee and later served as a member of the Bergen County Plan- ning Board. He also served as a member of Bergen Pines Hospital Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee of the Bergen County Work Force Advisement Board and the Board of Directors for the Cerebral Palsy Center of Bergen County. When the Midland Park Chamber of Commerce and veterans’ organizations undertook the reconstruction of Veterans Plaza in 2003, Mr. Van Dyke volunteered to chair the Friends of Veterans Plaza, which raised thousands of dollars for the popular project, the linchpin of the historic Wortendyke-area revitalization. Mr. Van Dyke served on the Midland Park Memorial Library Board of Trustees and was a life member of the Mid- land Park Ambulance Corps. He was a member of the Faith Community Christian Reformed Church in Wyckoff, and a prior member of the Irving Park Christian Reformed Church in Midland Park, where he served in several church offices. An electrical engineer by profession, Mr. Van Dyke was owner and president of Radiation Systems, Inc. of Wyckoff, a company that designed and manufactured infra-red elec- tric industrial ovens and control systems, for 29 years until his retirement in 2001. Mr. Van Dyke had a love for music and enjoyed singing. He was a member of the “Ramapo Ramblers” bluegrass band for many years, and more recently sang with the “Men of Faith” Christian singing ensemble. His other hobbies included playing the guitar, golf, fishing and model trains. Mr. Van Dyke and his wife Judy (nee Van Lenten), also summer residents at Green Pond, had celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on Aug. 23. Besides his wife, he is survived by four children: John William “Bill” Jr. and his wife, Sharon of Franklin Lakes, Debra Post and her hus- band Gary of Newton, Laurie Jongsma of Fremont, NH, and Nancy Brennan and her husband Daniel of Midland Park; and eight grandchildren: Justin, Ashley, Keith, Courtney, Steven, Michelle, Danielle, and Jack. He is also survived by his siblings Jacob Van Dyke of Hawthorne, and Jane Schoo- nejongen of Essex Junction, VT., and his father’s second wife J. William Van Dyke Helen Van Dyke. His son-in-law Steve Jongsma died in 2010. Arrangements were by Vander Plaat Funeral Home, Wyckoff. Memorial contributions may be made to the East- ern Christian School Association, 50 Oakwood Avenue, North Haledon, NJ 07508 or the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675.