Kenneth G. Gorab Obituary

Kenneth G. Gorab, 84, of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 25, 2019 while in the loving and supportive presence of his dear family.

Born and raised in Wood-Ridge, he was the youngest of Albert and Muhjy Gorab’s five sons. He attended and graduated from Wood-Ridge High School with the Class of 1952. While baseball was one of the sports that Ken played in high school, it was his role as a player on the Wood-Ridge Blue Devils basketball team where he really made his mark. As a star guard, he was a 1000 point scorer before the era of the 3-point line rule – in other words, in an era when it was much harder to attain such an impressive accomplishment. He went on to Fairleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford where, four years later, in 1956, he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in accounting. While at FDU, Ken’s basketball playing days continued as he played all four years for the FDU Knights. He even got his proverbial fifteen minutes of fame, playing games at Madison Square Garden which were even televised!

While Ken was taking accounting courses at FDU, he also coached little league baseball with his brother Herbie. It was through this experience that he learned a very important truth about himself. He enjoyed working with young kids a whole lot more than working with numbers. Consequently, once he earned that degree in accounting, he took a completely different course in life choosing a career in education instead. This, of course, required more education on his own part so, while teaching at Teaneck Middle School by day, Ken took classes at William Paterson College in Wayne at night. The middle school salary was not adequate so Ken supplemented by coaching and later refereeing basketball at his alma mater, Wood-Ridge High School. It gave Ken great satisfaction having the opportunity to work with these young men, building their skills and character. He ultimately earned his Master’s Degree and teaching certification then promptly accepted a new position as the Wood-Ridge High School History Teacher. One of the highlights of teaching American history, was taking the eighth grade students on the annual trip to Washington D.C. where, over time, his knowledge of the city grew and, as a result, he became a great guide. He loved his job teaching at the high school but more educational opportunities were offered and Ken accepted them. After four years at Wood-Ridge High, he became the Principal of Washington School in Carlstadt and one year later, Superintendent of Schools in Carlstadt. He enjoyed a rich and rewarding twenty-five year career from 1970 to 1995 before ultimately choosing retirement. During his years in education, Ken also served as President of the Bergen County Superintendent’s Association and became a mentor to many colleagues who later became superintendents of various schools.

Ken met his wife Jean Sitarz while both were attending Fairleigh Dickinson University. On one particular date at The White House, a pizza place in East Rutherford, Jean recalled that Ken actually sang to her. Now that’s true love! They exchanged marriage vows on Saturday, June 22, 1957 at First Presbyterian Church in Wood-Ridge. After a reception at The Fiesta in Wood-Ridge, they jumped in Ken’s blue Chevy convertible and drove down to Florida for their honeymoon. Upon their return, Ken and Jean lived for the first year of their married life with Ken’s parents before buying their own first home in Wallington. After several years, they moved their growing family to Wayne where they’ve remained ever since.

After retiring, Ken and Jean embarked upon a tour of the United States. It wasn’t all in one trip and sometimes they drove while other times they flew, but when all was said and done, they saw 45 out of the 50 states together, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Ken also enjoyed music, especially country music and the hits of Broadway. He and Jean had the pleasure of going to many shows on Broadway and also at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. Hands down, Ken’s favorite show was Les Misérables. Needless to say, he was also a big sports fan, rooting mostly for the Knick and Nets (when they were still in NJ), Yankees and Devils, and the Syracuse Orange.

A great student of American history, Ken was also very patriotic. Every year, watching the Memorial Day tribute on television would remind him about the sacrifices that others had made so that he could have the freedoms he enjoyed and, almost every year, this would move him to tears.

Above all else, the love and togetherness of family was the most important thing to Ken. He was so very proud of his children and then later grandchildren and most recently great granddaughter. Attending their school, sporting or theatrical events, weddings, teaching them to drive, and coaching or teaching them to play basketball gave him a great sense of joy. Ken’s approach in his life drew inspiration from the words of Frank Sinatra – He did things his way. But, in doing so, he was a great example to his family, teaching them the virtues of being organized and planning carefully while always approaching life pragmatically. More importantly, Ken will always be remembered and loved and appreciated for being a caring, selfless and loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle and friend.

Ken was the beloved husband of Jean, blessed in marriage for 61 years. He was the loving father of Susan Gerding of Wayne, Richard K. and wife Doreen Gorab of Green Township, Nancy and husband Robert Mundhenk of Pompton Plains, James and wife Judith Gorab of West Milford, and David and wife Beth Gorab of Wayne; cherished grandfather of: Erika Davidson, Tommy Gerding, Jason Mundhenk, Tyler Mundhenk, Kenny Gorab and wife Meghan, Zack Gorab, Nick Gorab, Tim Gorab, Casey Gorab, and Ryan Gorab; adoring great-grandfather of Kara Davidson; dear brother of Albert and wife Phyllis Gorab of Rochelle Park; dear uncle of numerous nieces, nephews and cousins; and dear brother-in-law of Sandy and Ben Bucaro of Pompton Plains and Judy and Allen Pokrywa of Hampton. He was predeceased by three brothers: Victor, Edmund, and Herbert Gorab.