William Gruenz Obituary
East Hanover - William A. Gruenz 72 of East Hanover passed away Monday, December 4, 2017. Born and raised in Livingston, he moved to East Hanover 48 years ago. A graduate of Newark College of Engineering, William was employed as a "Right of Way" Engineer for Verizon for 35 years. William was a selfless individual, volunteering his time throughout the community. He served as a Lieutenant, Captain, and President of the East Hanover First Aid Squad for many years; he delivered food to shut-ins throughout Morris County with Meals on Wheels; served as a Deacon and Elder at Kitchell Memorial Presbyterian Church, and also volunteered as a Boy Scout Leader and Soccer Coach in East Hanover. In his leisure time, William enjoyed gardening, fishing, and watching the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is survived by his devoted wife of 50 years, the former Margaret E. Craw of East Hanover; by a daughter, Julie Summa and husband Rick of Ellicott City, MD; by a son, William R. Gruenz and wife Grace of Laredo TX; by five grandchildren; Zoe, Scooter, and CJ Summa, and Christina and Carl Gruenz; by his great-granddaughter Sawyer Gruenz; by his sister Janet Berardinelli and husband Denis of Cherry Hill; by his caregiver Giselle McLean; and his faithful Labrador, Puddles. Visitation will be held at Hancliffe Home For Funerals, 222 Ridgedale Ave., East Hanover 10-1PM on Friday, concluding with a funeral service at 1PM. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to the Mount Pleasant Animal Shelter or the East Hanover First Aid Squad. hancliffehomeforfunerals.com
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2 Entries
Class of '63
February 1, 2018
The Livingston High School Class of 1963 expresses our condolences to the Gruenz family. We hope fond memories of our classmate, Bill, will be a blessing to all who knew him.
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Kristin Hackett
December 7, 2017
To The Gruenz family,
Scott and I and my parents, Liz and Paul Hackett want to express our sincere condolences. It is with great sadness that I write this message to you as we will all greatly miss Mr. Gruenz. When I was a young girl my family attended Kitchell Pesbyterian Church and we enjoyed all of the church activities and your family was right there with us. So many special times that I can't even begin to detail here....Julie was my good friend and still is...but you were all a part of influencing and helping to shape my life in a very positive way. Mr. Gruenz was one of he kindest and gentlest souls I've ever known. I remember him working a lot and even so he found time to be on the emergency squad in East Hanover. I thought he was so brave. He was a person I respected and I've been lucky enough to have been his friend in my adult years so that I could share a bit of my life with him, including my children and he always listened and was thoughtful and considerate in his coversations with me. He deeply loved his family and always wanted the best for them. He had a warm smile and nice words to share. There is so much more to share but I just want you all to know that the Hackett/Murphy family loved and respected Mr Gruenz and we are your friends and here for you all now and always. May Mr Gruenz rest in peace in Heaven.
Love,
Kristin and family
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222 Ridgedale Avenue, East Hanover, NJ 07936
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