Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • June 11, 2014 Wyckoff Church dedicates new columbarium and ash garden Original WRC Cemetery Association members included Rev. George Heneveld, Charles Depew, John J. Duryea, Charles S. Pulis, Harold Ramsey, and Frederick Van Blarcom. Past Cemetery Association Board members include Jerry Artsma, Don Christie, Fred Dau, Willard Dykstra, David Leach, Wesley Livesey, Gordon MacDou- gall, Roibert Pensmith, John Piekema, Harold Snyder, and Olive Yennie. Gathering at the historic Wyckoff Reformed Church Cemetery for the dedication of the Columbarium and Ash Garden are, from left, Cemetery Board Secretary Dic Ver Hage, Cem- etery Board Vice President Rich Lynch, Cemetery Superintendent Joan Mabie, Senior Pastor James O’Connell, Cemetery Board member Grace Schaus, Columbarium/Ash Garden Team member Karen Levy, Cemetery Board President Nancy Mattera and Wyckoff Mayor Doug Christie. Just after the township held its annual Memorial Day “Celebration of Remem- brance” on the grounds of the historic Wyckoff Reformed Church Cemetery on Wyckoff Avenue, a dedication service was held for the new columbarium and ash garden. On June 1, Senior Pastor James O’Connell was joined by Wyckoff Mayor Doug Christie, and church and cemetery officials to dedicate the 96-niche granite columbarium and ash garden, situated on a slight rise overlooking the church and the Township of Wyckoff, surrounded by a wooded border. The Wyckoff Reformed Church has been serving the local community with a cemetery since the church was founded on one-half acre purchased for $7.50 in 1805. The humble beginnings served as a place to bury the area’s earliest settlers. In fact, the earliest gravestone found in the cemetery is dated 1796, indicating the use of this land even prior to the church purchasing the property. A larger burial ground was created in 1855 with 487 plots on one acre. An addi- tional seven acres were purchased in 1935 when the Wyckoff Reformed Church Cem- etery Association was incorporated and perpetual care was established. In 1955, when the church was enlarged over a portion of the cemetery, some two dozen remains were exhumed and rein- terred in a crypt in the church basement with headstones preserved on the walls. Current WRCCA Board members include President Nancy Mattera, Vice President Rich Lynch, Secretary Dic Ver Hage, Treasurer Charlie Ras, Grace Schaus, and Chuck Dye. The cemetery superinten- dent is Joan Mabie. The Columbarium/Ash Garden Team includes Jim Dryer, Karen Levy, Rich Lynch, and Rev. O’Connell. Individuals of all faiths are welcome. Voters endorse pair of Republicans, Democrat Incumbent Wyckoff Mayor Doug Chris- tie was the top vote-getter in last week’s Republican primary. Christie received 477 votes, while his running mate, Susan Yudin, received 378 ballots. Wyckoff Township Committeeman Brian Scanlan, who ran in the Democratic primary without a running mate, received the second highest tally, with 284 ballots. The three candidates will now compete for the two township committee seats that will be available in the November general election. Turnout was just seven percent. The Wyckoff Township Clerk’s Office reports that in 2014, Wyckoff has 2,247 registered Democratic voters, 4,507 registered Repub- lican voters, and 5,657 unaffiliated voters. Christie, serving as mayor this year after being elected by his fellow township committee members on Jan. 1, is an inde- pendent construction contractor, and a long-term member and sometime chaplain of the Wyckoff Volunteer Fire Department. Yudin, who owns and manages a local electronics and appliance business with her husband, Bob, is a member of the Wyckoff Board of Adjustment. Scanlan, a publisher of medical and tech- nical books, is now seeking his third term. He is active in environmental matters, and participates in the construction of shelters for needy people in Central America. Scanlan won a seat on the Wyckoff Township Committee as the first Democrat seated since the 1930s two terms ago, based on a campaign that stressed environmental concerns and the desirability of acquiring more dedicated park land with the help of county and state grants. Several other Democratic candidates ran for township committee in subsequent years, but none was elected. J. KOSTER