Obituary of William J. Gleason

William J. Gleason, 77, of West Caldwell, NJ, passed away on Monday, April 11, 2016. Visitation will be held at the Codey & Jones Funeral Home, 54 Roseland Avenue, Caldwell, NJ on Thursday, April 14th from 2-4 & 7-9 pm. A Funeral Mass will be offered at Notre Dame R.C. Church, 359 Central Avenue, North Caldwell, NJ on Friday, April 15th at 11:00 am, followed by a luncheon at the church. To share a memory or condolence, please visit www.codeyjonesfh.com. Bill was born in Jersey City, NJ to William M. and Ivy (Paterson) Gleason, and raised by his grandmother, Ivy Paterson, in Bayonne. After his service in the Army Bill moved his family to Bloomfield, residing there for 27 years before moving to West Caldwell in 1994. Bill was a printed circuit board designer for over 30 years with Western Electric, Kearny, NJ, and later with Bell Labs and Lucent before retiring in 2000. For many years he was the host and coordinator of the Annual Western Electric Reunion, as recently as this past September. In addition to spending time with his family, Bill enjoyed time spent playing Bocce at Notre Dame Church, where he was captain of his team, and more recently sled hockey and ocean kayaking with Operation Beachhead, which provides sporting opportunities for persons with disabilities. He is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Lucille C. (Kearney); devoted daughters, Carol Gleason, Catherine Belluardo, Laura Keck and Eileen Murphy; a dear brother, Jackie Gleason; and 3 cherished grandchildren, Connor, Bronwyn and Rhiannon Murphy. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation (www.michaeljfox.org) or Operation Beachhead (www.opbeachhead.org) would be greatly appreciated.