ROBERT DANIEL WENZ, SR. IS CELEBRATING HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY ON NOVEMBER 4, 2015. ROBERT WAS BORN IN 1915 TO HIS FATHER, ROBERT HENRY WENZ, WHO WAS A GENERAL CONTRACTOR, DECEASED AT THE AGE OF 77, AND HIS MOTHER, ROSE MARIE RUSSO WENZ, WHO WAS DECEASED AT THE AGE OF 103. HIS SISTER, MARIE EMILY WENZ WAS DECEASED AT THE AGE OF 96.
BOB GRADUATED FROM WASHINGTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL AND IS AN ALUMNUS OF UNION HIGH SCHOOL. HE WAS ON THE WRESTLING TEAM AND PLAYED THE VIOLIN IN THE ORCHESTRA. BOB LIVED IN UNION FOR 90 PLUS YEARS AND HE AND HIS FATHER BUILT THEIR HOME AT 397 BERGEN STREET IN UNION.
BOB MARRIED ELVA MARIE BRIGHT WENZ, NOW 96 YEARS OLD. THEY WERE MARRIED BY THE REVEREND FREDERICK DRU AT CONNECTICUT FARMS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AND HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR 78 YEARS.
BOB, AN INCOMING MATERIAL INSPECTOR WORKED FOR WALTER KIDDE FOR 43 YEARS. BOB WAS A GOLDEN GLOVE CHAMPION IN 1944 IN THE 126 LB. CLASS AT LAUREL GARDENS IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY. BEFORE RETIRING THE GLOVES, HE WON ALL OF HIS 15 PROFESSIONAL BOUTS.
BOB, AKA “BEAR CAT” WAS A CADDIE AT BRANCHBURN COUNTRY CLUB IN FLORHAM PARK FOR MANY YEARS BEFORE GOING TO THE SUBURBAN GOLF COURSE IN UNION, NEW JERSEY. AN EXCEPTIONAL “GREENS READER,” THE BEAR CAT PLAYED AN EXCELLENT GAME OF GOLF.
BOB AND HIS WIFE HAD THREE CHILDREN, ELVA R. NUGENT, ROBERT D. WENZ, JR. – A PGA PRO PRESENTLY TEACHING AT THE GALLOPING HILL COURSE AND RICHARD A. WENZ, FORMER OWNER OF RANDOLPH GOLF RANGE IN NEW JERSEY AND CERTIFIED GOLF INSTRUCTOR AND COACH, US GOLF TEACHER FEDERATION.
BOB AND HIS WIFE ELVA ALSO HAVE 7 GRANDCHILDREN – THEODORE R. NUGENT, TIMOTHY J. NUGENT, ELVA-MARIE NUGENT HILBERT, LISA WENZ KNAB, ROBERT D. WENZ 3RD, SUSAN WENZ AND BONNIE WENZ BRAVO. THEY HAVE 9 GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN – TIMOTHY NUGENT, NICOLE NUGENT, KRISTEN NUGENT, DANIELLE NUGENT, ROBERT NUGENT, OLIVIA KNAB, TAYLOR KNAB, RILEY KNAB AND LOUIS BRAVO, WHO’S ARRIVAL DATE IS DECEMBER 28, 2015.
NOW, THEREFORE, ON BEHALF OF THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE, I, MANUEL FIGUEIREDO, MAYOR OF THE TOWNSHIP OF UNION, IN THE COUNTY OF UNION, STATE OF NEW JERSEY, HEREBY CONGRATULATE ROBERT DANIEL WENZ, SR. AS HE CELEBRATES HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS. MAY GOD BLESS HIM WITH CONTINUED GOOD HEALTH AND HAPPINESS IN THE YEARS AHEAD.