Richie Flaming, of Wyckoff NJ, passed away peacefully on January 6, 2025 at the age of 70. He was surrounded by his best friend and loving wife Cynthia (Peden) DeJong, and children. He lived life to the very fullest and as long as humanly possible.
Richie is survived by the love of his life, Cynthia. He made big decisions the day he took on (not only) Cynthia, but also her six children (3 by birth and 3 by previous marriage). He was a loving father to Rebecca, Michael, and Emily DeJong (aka, Shorty). He was a loving stepfather to Kathleen (James) Joye, Kristine (Dave) Sniegocki, and Kyle (Melanie) DeJong. He was very proud of all of them, and his 7 grandchildren by the older set. He would ask, “Who is Grandpa?” and we would remind him, that HE was Grandpa.
He is survived by his sister Lynda (Flaming) Johnson, Brother and sister in-laws Michael and Merna Peden, Pam (Peden) and Richard Pfeiffer, Kathy (Peden) and Ted Blaisdell, nieces, nephews, cousins, and many friends he considered as family.
He is preceded in death by his parents Nicholas and Annie Flaming, his best friend and father of all the children, Richard DeJong, and his brother in arms, William Meroth.
Richie was born in Passaic, NJ on October 3, 1954 to Nicholas and Annie Flaming. He found his early life in Passaic to be filled with many assorted adventures and opportunities for his future occupation. He attended Eastern Christian School. Richie apprenticed and went on to work for Reiner Group for approximately 50 years (who is counting?). He “loved” his time in the field, educating the new mechanics coming up in commercial HVAC, and the hours of camaraderie he found with like minded people. After a brain infection, two new knees, a shoulder replacement, and earlier back surgery he opted for retirement. He said we would be junking him with the amount of metal inside of him.
Richie was an avid hunter, fisherman, outdoorsman. When he was in the woods, the animals were all very safe. He was smart, humble, quiet, and loved his family. He was embraced by Cynthia’s very large collective of family spread over the United States. He had a lifelong love of Budweiser, Jack Daniels, (insert your favorite spirit here), and excellent food. He looked forward to his trips to his favorite stops: Savini’s, Blue Moon, Shortway’s Barn, RTs, Walters, and The Coral Reef. They have all lost a loyal customer. He loved South Padre Island with wonderful beaches, the Texas Hill Country, Montana with big sky, Roscoe with his hunting group, and riding his Harley.
A celebration of life will be held at Grace United Methodist Church, 555 Russel Ave, Wyckoff NJ 07481 on Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 1:00 PM. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Research Hospital.
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