Arlene B. Novak

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the peaceful passing of Arlene Beverly Novak (née Tuschmann), who went home to be with her Lord and Savior on August 14th 2025, at the age of 84. A dedicated Christian, Arlene's faith was the cornerstone of her life. She was a lifelong attendee of the Fair Lawn Bible Church and read from her personal bible every day.

Arlene was born on March 2, 1941, to Fair Lawn Police Captain Arthur Jacob Tuschmann, Jr. (1901-1948), and Ruth Martha (née Berdan, 1905-1970). Arlene joined an older sister, Lois (1933-2004), who later married Walter A. Singer (1927-1985) and Lois and Walter raised two children. The family resided in their newly-built house at 13-15 George Street in Fair Lawn. The couple also built the house next door (number 13-25) for her father's parents, Arthur Jakob Tuschmann, Sr. (1877-1960) and Agnes L. (née Gerhardt, 1881-1971). Arlene's maternal grandparents were Raymond Berdan (1880-1945) and Nellie (née Braen, 1880-1963). Her maternal ancestors were immigrants to New Amsterdam and New Netherlands and the Berdan and Demarest families, among other lines, settled in Bergen County, New Jersey, in the late 1600s.

Her early years were marked by a profound loss when her father died suddenly-due to complications from an injury-when she was just seven years old. Her mother's resilience in raising the family deeply influenced her, shaping her into the strong woman she would become. Arlene was especially close with her paternal grandparents, who helped care for her and her sister after her father's death. They helped keep his memory alive. (One story her grandmother told her about was that her father was born prematurely and at home. In order to keep him warm, they placed the tiny baby in a box which was then placed on a shelf above the cast iron range. He survived, and thrived.)

As a child and teen, she found joy in the arts, singing, raising German Shepherds for show and to serve in police K9 units, fishing and swimming at the family's rustic cabin on Greenwood Lake, and taking care of all kinds of animals.

Upon graduating Fair Lawn High School, Arlene received a scholarship to study nursing and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1962 from the Paterson General Hospital School of Nursing. She worked at Paterson General as a nurse in the Operating Room and Labor and Delivery departments while continuing to raise and train German Shepherds and care for her horse, Big Red.

In 1965 she married Michael Henry Novak (1924-2010) and they moved to Oakland, New Jersey-buying the home on the Ramapo River that they would live in for the rest of their lives. There, they raised three children, Pamela, Michelle, and Michael, as well as a never-ending menagerie of pets and animals in need who found their way to her door. Over the years the family welcomed stray dogs and cats (some who were abandoned by the river), fish, birds, guinea pigs, and rabbits; as well as helped rehabilitate wild ducks, squirrels, pigeons, and a pheasant chick mistakenly named "Turkey Bird." She assisted her husband in the running of his appliance repair business, A[partment] & H[ome] Appliance-but which originally stood for "Arlene & Henry." She was also involved in leadership positions with her children's activities which included sports, scouts, arts, and drum corps (Oakland Rangers and, later, New City [NY] Commanders).

In the mid-1980s she returned to nursing, joining the team at Christian Health Care Center in Wyckoff, New Jersey. She rose from a ward nurse in the nursing home to Charge Nurse in the facility's Alzheimer unit-helping found and build that division to the recognized facility it is today. Through her work, she came to admire the care given to the frailest of God's children and built lasting friendships with her colleagues.

In retirement and after her husband's passing, Arlene renewed her love for art, joining the art club at the Oakland Senior Center. Here she made new, close friends whose talent, and humor, and joy for life inspired her in countless ways.

Despite her decline in health this year, she was determined to attend her granddaughter Caroline's (an ICU Nurse in Dallas) June wedding in Brentwood, Tennessee-which she did. There she was able to spend precious time with her children, grandchildren, and their partners-which she called one of the happiest times of her life.

Arlene is survived by her children: Pamela A. (née Novak) and husband Donald H. deVeer of Brentwood, Tennessee; Michelle D. of Manhattan, New York, and Oakland, New Jersey; and Michael H. Novak and wife Amanda Novak of Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan; her grandchildren, Caroline (née deVeer) and husband Thomas Ito, Elizabeth "Libby" deVeer, Holden Novak, Allison Novak, and step-grandchild Wyatt Kirchner; lifelong friends Joan and Charles Ferrando; cousin and friend Deborah Orr; and niece and close friend Deborah Singer. She is also survived by her cats Kitty and Honey (a deaf and partially blind feral rescue) and the parade of wild animals who frequent the backyard along the Ramapo River.

A viewing to celebrate Arlene's life will be held on Wednesday, August 27th from 3pm to 7pm (service at 6pm) at Oakland Memorial Home, 330 Ramapo Valley Road in Oakland, New Jersey. All are welcome to attend. The burial will be the following day at 11am at the Ponds Cemetery in Oakland where she will be interred with the cremains of her husband.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her name to the Oakland First Aid Squad, (oaklandfas.org) and to hug your furry friends.

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Interred with Arlene are the cremains of her late husband, Michael Henry Novak, who passed on 21 November 2010-and whom we remember afresh on his internment.

He was born as Henry Michael Nowak in a cold-water tenement flat in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was the last of six children born to Ukrainian immigrant parents Nicholas and Mary (née Podlecki) Nowak.

Growing up during the Great Depression, he learned how to be frugal, resourceful, and work hard, and he dropped out of school after the eighth grade to work and contribute to the family's income. But, despite these hardships Michael was an incurable optimist and always looked forwards to a brighter future.

In WWII he joined the Navy and was assigned to U.S. Navy Seabee Unit 528, a newly formed Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit (CBMU). Unit 528 was stationed in New Guinea for the duration of the war.

About this time in Jersey City, Michael's father left the family (to whereabouts unknown) and Michael, like Arlene, grew up with a resourceful single mother who worked long hours to give her family a stable and happy home. His mother cleaned offices at Chase Bank and opened her crowded apartment home to boarders and recent immigrants.

After the end of the war, Michael used his GI Bill to study at trade schools. He worked for Kearfott as a machinist making gyroscopes for NASA and the Apollo program and, later, as a repairman for GE.

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Arlene and Henry met, by chance, in Paterson, New Jersey, when Arlene joined some of her colleagues for a night out after work. They married; had their first child, Pamela; and bought their home in Oakland all within two years.

While Arlene continued to work as a nurse at Paterson General, they added Michelle and Michael Jr. to the family and Michael Sr. started his own business repairing appliances. Clients ranged from housewives and schoolteachers to local baseball and football stars, to Les Paul and Mary Ford.

Arlene often said of Michael that there was nothing he could not fix-and he loved a challenge. (The one challenge that still lingers in the garage is an old 1930s radio in which he could NEVER find the short.)

An odd couple on paper-with a generation between their ages, and immigrant Ukrainian-Orthodox parents versus Arlene's Jersey Dutch Reformed and Huguenot roots-they shared a love for animals and family and building a stable life together.

Michael was especially proud of his children's education-and always challenged them to do better and reach higher. Although with a limited education himself, he read The Bergen Record and The New York Times every day, and he often said that everything he needed to know about the world could be learned from reading the newspaper.

He worked hard-six days a week-and forbade his family from working on the seventh. While money was tight from starting a business and raising a family, they always found the funds to welcome stray animals and strived to give their children whatever they wanted.

When he was injured, whether from a broken finger or severe burns from a when his repair van caught on fire, Arlene was there to heal him. When Arlene lost her mother when she was only 29, he was there to comfort her. And when Arlene decided to return to work to help with the college bills, he encouraged her to refresh her knowledge and get back into the profession she loved.

And Michael stayed curious, tinkering with this and that always trying to build a better mechanical system cribbed from the spare parts in the garage. (No wonder Rube Goldberg was his favorite cartoonist!)

He is still renowned in the family for his quirky projects; his get rich quick schemes; his multiple lottery tickets, in which he was so sure he would win he bought multiple tickets using the same number so it would be more easily divided among the winners; his love of new technology; and his "Henryisims."

A particular favorite saying of his was "Have a good day-make someone's day"-which is great advice for every day.

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May the rest in eternal peace together.