Robert E. DeBlock Jr.

Wantage - Robert E. DeBlock, Jr., age 70, passed away on Saturday, October 11, 2025 at his residence. Born in Paterson to the late Robert E. DeBlock, Sr. and Elizabeth (VanHoven) DeBlock, Bob grew up in Hawthorne and lived in Oakland before moving to Sussex County in 2004. He had been employed as an assistant manager for Shop Rite in West Milford for the past 22 years. He was a former member of the Wantage United Methodist Church.
Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his sister, Barbara Geisert in 2023 and his brother-in-law, Peter VanDerVelde in 2024. Bob is survived by his devoted wife of 48 years, Mary (VanDerVelde); his son, Timothy DeBlock and his wife Tracy Praml of Oakland; his daughter, Kathryn Cook and her husband Ronald of Oak Ridge; his brother, Scott DeBlock and his wife Heidi of Scarborough, Maine; his sister, Joan Arfsten and her husband Ted of Leyland, North Carolina; his four grandchildren, Thomas, Riley, Gabriella, and Logan; his in-laws, Ruth Weiss and her husband Arthur of Franklin Lakes, Paul VanDerVelde and his wife Christine of Mahwah, and Lorraine VanDerVelde of Riverdale; and many nieces and nephews.
Friends may pay their respects to the family on Friday, October 17, 2025 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Pinkel Funeral Home, 31 Bank Street (Route 23), Sussex, New Jersey. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at The Old Clove Church, 889 NJ-23, Wantage with interment immediately following at Clove Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Robert's memory to Tunnell to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306 or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.pinkelfuneralhome.com