WALTER "SKIP" GANGEL

Walter “Skip” J. Gangel, 57, of Oak Ridge, NJ, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, April 28, 2016 at Morristown Memorial Hospital. Skip was born on May 31,1958 in Paterson, NJ to Otto John and Marjorie Mae (Masker) Gangel. Growing up, he resided in Franklin Lakes, NJ with his parents, younger brother, aunt and uncle, and cousins who would later be referred to as sister-cousins due to the closeness of his family after the death of his mother after a battle with cancer. He graduated from Ramapo Regional High School in 1976, and continued his education taking classes at Bergen Community College. Skip was always a kind and caring man who enjoyed helping others within his community. For many years, he did so by volunteering at the Franklin Lakes Ambulance Corp. Doing this gave him a sense of value and made him feel like he was making a difference in his local community. Skip married his wife Charlene (Kemp) in 1982 and resided in Franklin Lakes, NJ in the same house that his parents had owned before him. In January 1997, they adopted their oldest daughter Rachel and later moved to Oak Ridge, NJ in 2002 and adopted their second daughter Cheyanne in 2003. He was a mechanic for many years at Cambria Mack Trucks, but he really enjoyed working for New Jersey Transit Meadowlands Maintenance Complex in Kearney, NJ as a machinist working on the trains that transported thousands of people each day. He was a longstanding, passionate, and faithful parishioner of the Milton United Methodist Church in Milton, NJ. Fellow members of the congregation remember Skip as being extremely friendly, caring, and always willing to step up and assist as usher whenever he was needed. Skip is survived by his beloved wife Charlene, his beautiful teenage daughters Rachel and Cheyanne, his loving brother Ronald Gangel and his wife Miriam and their son, Skip’s Godson Marc, his loving sisters-cousins Jennifer Lynn, Deborah, Margaret, and Laura, as well as several other nieces and nephews. Skip will best be remembered as the “Team Dad” for the Jefferson Twp. High School Girls Lacrosse Team, a devoted member of the Garden State Model Railroad Club in Haledon, NJ, a NASCAR and racing enthusiast, and most importantly a beloved husband, father, brother, and friend to so many. The family will receive visitors on Sunday, May 1, 2016 from 2-4pm and 7-9pm at the Stickle-Soltesz Funeral Home, 187 La Rue Road, Newfoundland, NJ 07435 A Celebration of Life will take place on Monday, May 2, 2016 at 7pm at the Milton United Methodist Church, 316 Dover Milton Road, Oak Ridge, NJ 07438. Final disposition will be private. Memorial donations may be made in Skip’s name to: Milton United Methodist Church Paving Fund,316 Dover Milton Road, Oak Ridge, NJ 07438; or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38101-9908. Log onto www.sticklesolteszfuneralhome.com tribute wall to personally post your condolences, memories, photos, and videos, as well as obtaining driving directions to the funeral home.

WALTER "SKIP" GANGEL

May 31, 1958 - April 28, 2016