William M. Riffel

1930 - 2014

William M. Riffel, 83, of Mountainside, N.J., passed away at home, surrounded by his family, on Aug. 11, 2014. A family service was held to honor and celebrate his life.
Born in 1930 to August and Mary Riffel, Bill grew up in Union, N.J., where he met his soulmate, Dorothy (Skelly), to whom he was married for over 58 years. Together they raised four children in Mountainside, actively participating in every aspect of their lives.
Bill was a naturally gifted athlete who excelled in both football and boxing. He was a running back for Union High School and later played for the semi-pro football team, the Cranford Clippers.
In 1948, he was the 147-pound Golden Gloves champion and the following year won the Diamond Gloves in the same weight class.
After graduating from Union High School in 1949, Bill was awarded a full athletic scholarship for boxing at Georgetown University, but decided on a different path.
Bill served his country during the Korean War in the Navy Special Services Division on the Navy Boxing Team, touring the country in exhibition bouts. His overall posted amateur record was 50-2. He later trained several successful New Jersey Golden Gloves boxers of the next generation.
In 1957, Bill joined the Union Fire Department and was promoted to the rank of captain. Under his leadership as long-term president of both the Firefighter and Fire Officer unions, the department secured important safety equipment and fought for and helped win a work schedule more conducive to firefighter health concerns. He was also featured in local media stories for creating a Christmas Toy Workshop in which local firefighters helped gather and distribute holiday gifts for those less fortunate. He retired from the fire department in 1982.
Bill also managed a successful urban real estate business for over 40 years.
When Bill was asked about his fondest memories, though, he would always talk about his family. Vacations at Disney World, the Blue Ridge Inn, Florida beaches, traveling the coastline of California and four-wheeling in Colorado were his go-to stories.
Playing stickball on the street in Mountainside, coaching teams for his children, and watching his family grow were all different aspects of the same joy for him.
Beneath his powerful and strong outward presence lay a remarkably gentle and giving soul. He will be sorely missed by family and friends.
Bill is survived by his loving wife, Dorothy; his sons, Bill (and wife Sarah), Michael and Jim, and daughter, Traci DeAngelis (and husband, Charlie); grandchildren, Alyssa, Jamie, Chas, Patrick and Brooke; sister, Marie (Steer); brother, Richard, and many nephews and nieces.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests the donations to be made in Bill's name to the Union Fire Department Education Fund, P.O. 3582, Union, N.J. 07083.