Obituary of Richard Novak
Richard (Dick) Novak passed away peacefully, surrounded by family on December 7, 2023 at St Clare’s Hospital in Dover, NJ, the same hospital that he was born in. He was 84.
Dick was born February 2, 1939 and was raised in Wharton, NJ. He attended Wharton Grammar School, Morris Hill High School (Class of ‘57) and Seton Hall University (Class of ‘61). He was drafted and served in the U.S. Army in support of the Cuban Missile Crisis from December 1961 until he was Honorably Discharged in December 1963. He returned to NJ where he laid roots in Randolph until his passing.
Dick met the love of their life, Elaine Jacobus (Cindy) on a blind date in 1960. They courted through his final two years of college while she attended Mount Saint John Academy and began Nursing School. Upon completion of basic training in February 1962, he took a weekend leave to come home and propose. They married in April 1963 and the next day, started a four-day journey to Ft. Hood in Texas, where he spent the remainder of his military service. In April 2023, they celebrated a remarkable 60 years of marriage.
He is survived by his four children: son, Michael, daughter, Ann (Keane) with her husband Brian, son Timothy with his wife Tara and son Charles with his wife Malissa. Dick is also survived by his 12 grandchildren, Cynthia, Charles, Christina, Nathan, Shane, Hannah, Andrew, Ryan Justin, Connor and James, and 5 great grandchildren. He is predeceased by his mother Anna, his father Frank and his older brother, Frank, Jr.
He had a soft spot for the last two pets he had, his cats, Tiger and Princess. He could often be heard having full on conversations with his cats, asking them questions as if he expected them to reply.
He was an active member of Resurrection Parish of Randolph. He was one of the original, founding members and was an Usher for many years.
Dick worked for Carson & Gabel Ribbon Company of Dover, NJ. He started while in high school, sweeping floors and other odd jobs, which continued through college. Once he obtained his Bachelor’s degree, he took on more responsibilities, ultimately managing the factory’s production, shipping and receiving operations. A particularly proud time during his career was during the US Desert Storm conflict. Given the high demand for yellow ribbon that Americans were using to tie bows on trees with, he worked 7 days a week for many months to meet the demand. He retired in 2003 and including his part time work in high school and college, worked for Carson & Gabel for over 50 years.
During his retirement, Dick would most often be seen in bleachers and stands of various courts, fields and stadiums around Morris County, proudly watching and cheering on his grandchildren as they were participating in their various sports activities. Even when his mobility became a challenge, he benefitted from the advent of live streaming – he loved watching his grandchildren on TV.
A viewing will be held at The Tuttle Funeral home, 272 Highway10, Randolph, NJ 07869 on Sunday December 17, 2023 from 4-8pm.
A Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, December 18, 2023 at Resurrection Parish, 651 Millbrook Ave. Randolph, NJ 07869 at 11:30am. For those unable to attend the Mass in person, please use this Live Stream Link
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Resurrection Parish of Randolph or the USO.
Donate Online - Resurrection Parish Randolph - Randolph, NJ (resurrectionparishnj.org)
In Loving Memory
Richard Novak
1939 - 2023
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Phone: 973 366-7400
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