Dale G. Dreisbach

Dale G. Dreisbach passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 18, 2024, after a long and courageous fight with multiple diseases including cancer. He was born to Albert Waller Dreisbach and Mary Alice Gardner on September 22, 1934, in Easton, PA. Dale spent his early years in Fair Lawn, NJ, and most of his adult life in Ramsey, NJ. He graduated from Fair Lawn High school in 1951. As the eldest child, he worked many jobs starting with his first paper route at age 11, and as the youngest in his grade he graduated High School at only 16 years old. He didn't have an academic focus in those early years, but concentrated more on his many jobs, so had no intention of going on to college. For a graduation gift his father sent him to take a career test, and the results indicated great potential and sent him down a new path towards higher education. So it was, that the boy who was going to do a trade, joined the "Pioneer" class at Paterson State Teachers College (the first class to graduate on the grounds of what is now William Paterson) earning a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1955, becoming the first in his family with a college degree. He went on to spend the rest of his career in the field of education and continued pursuing higher education for decades to come.
Immediately after college graduation, Dale enlisted in the Army and served the US from 1955 – 1958 with assignments at Fort Dix, NJ, Fort Sam Houston, Texas and Schofield Barracks in (at the time "territory of") Hawaii. He was able to have many travels during his leave, including visits to Japan, Wake Island, and hitch hiking around the US. In 1960, Dale earned his Master's in Counseling and Guidance from Seton Hall University and went on to earn a Specialist in Education from Rutgers University in 1969. He continued to attend courses all through his career in education which spanned 40 years within the Bergen County School system, (32 at Bergen Tech). Dale held many positions including Teacher, Guidance Director, Vice Principal, Principal and Business Officer; as well as positions in the summer and at nights teaching at local Universities, working as an employment counselor and teaching adult school (where he created an adult math book with real world examples).
Dale worked hard but still found time for his family, taking his daughters on all manner of adventures, we used to call them '$5 and under' day trips visiting churches, prisons, museums in the woods, and more elaborate ones like visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame, and camping overnight. He retired at age 65 in 1999, with over 200 unused sick days, a testament to his amazing work ethic. His great work ethic started early, as an 11-year-old with his first paper route, he brought on so many new customers that he won trips to far flung locations, planting the seed for his love of travel. Between the paper route and his career in education he held a wide variety of jobs. Some jobs (like bowling alley pin boy and soda jerk) no longer exist, while others are still important jobs to this day to teach us about life and leadership including being a counselor at Boy Scout Camps No-Be-Bo-Sco and Camp Cushytonk, working in Shipping and Receiving at Pressman Toy Corp, working for the US Post Office, and entry level jobs at Allied Chemical and the Ford Motor Corp. After retirement rather than spending his time on a golf course, Dale worked 5 years at BD in Franklin Lakes and 20 + years as a volunteer at the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ. His favorite job of all was "proud Grandpa", when the grandkids arrived in 2003 and 2006. His hard work led to many honors including achieving Eagle Scout in 1951, Phi Delta Kappa Men's Education National Honor Society, Top Educator for Bergen County and of course # 1 Pop-Pop!
Dale met the love of his life when he was starting his education career as a business teacher at Ramapo Regional High School. There was a very special Spanish teacher named Jean who also worked at Ramapo Regional. Soon after they met, she would take a year off to teach at the Presbyterian Mission School in Utah. While away, Dale realized Jean was the one for him and hopped on a bus out to Utah to ask for her hand in marriage. On July 1st of 1961 Dale married that special Spanish teacher, Jean DeMartine, in the final wedding held in the now "old chapel" of the First Presbyterian Church of Ramsey (a change of plans when they could not be the first wedding in the new sanctuary due to construction delays and a missing staircase to get into the building). They would go on to have 2 children and be together until Dale lost Jean to cancer in their 60th year of marriage, January of 2021. Dale was predeceased also by his parents and by his beloved sister Grace Gorski and survived by his brother George and brother-in-law Joseph Gorski. He is survived by his daughters, RuthAnne Dreisbach and Deidre Jean Groehnert, son-in-law Stephan Groehnert, and 4 adoring grandchildren Charlotte Dreisbach and Tommy, Jason and Jacqueline Groehnert who love him very much.
Dale was a member of the First Presbyterian church for most of his adult life, with one break in the early 2000s to participate in the Old Paramus Church. He served as an Elder for multiple terms at First Presbyterian, where he was also head of the Christian Education Commission and volunteered as a Camp Counselor, marrying his faith with his love of the outdoors and with teaching.
At Old Paramus he served as a Deacon and volunteer for almost 10 years as well. In his youth he enjoyed fishing and collecting stamps and coins. As an adult he continued a passion for fishing, and developed a love of hiking and gardening and in his 30s took up running. Dale ran in many 5K and 10K races, as well as a couple min-marathons, biathlons and a marathon. His fondest vacation memories were with family and friends at Cape Cod, Ma., and Oquaga Lake, NY. Dale will be dearly missed by family, friends, neighbors, work buddies (the "Romeos"), his church community as well as the kind nurses and aids who lovingly helped take care of him in his final months at the Family of Caring. Dale was a kind, considerate, hardworking adventurer, and to know him was to love him.
The Dreisbach and Groehnert families will receive friends and family on Sunday, February 25, 2024, from 5:00 - 8:00 PM and Monday, February 26, 2024, from 9:00 - 11:00 AM at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home, 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, www.vpfh.com. Funeral services will be held on Monday, February 26, 2024, at 12:00 PM at the First Presbyterian Church, 15 Shuart Lane, Ramsey, NJ. Interment will follow at the Union Cemetery in Ramsey. All are welcome to a repast in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dale's name may be made to the First Presbyterian Church in Ramsey.
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