Gerald Peelen

Gerald Peelen

Newark- Gerald Peelen, 78, was called home to be with his heavenly Father, on Thursday (March 13, 2014, after a short illness.
Friends may call from 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. on Sunday (March 16^th) at the Paul L. Murphy & Sons Funeral Home, 127 East Miller Street, Newark. Funeral services will be held at 11 A.M. on Monday (March 17^th) at the East Palmyra Christian Reformed Church, 2023 Port Gibson Road, East Palmyra. Burial will be in the East Palmyra Cemetery.

Memorials, in his name, may be made to the East Palmyra Christian School, 2023 Port Gibson Road, Palmyra, New York 14522.

Mr. Peelen was born on February 5, 1936 in the Netherlands, the son of Teun and Sientje VanBeek Peelen. After graduating from high school, Gerald served eighteen months in the Dutch Army. In 1958, he came to the United States, where he worked for Xerox for 32 years, retiring in 1995. Shortly after retiring, Gerald started volunteering at the Newark-Wayne Community Hospital and DeMay Living Center. He loved his “volunteer job” transporting patients throughout the building and cheerfully greeting the people in the hospital as he did it. Gerald volunteered 16,110 hours in his nineteen years, doing 107 hours this January before illness forced him to take a break. He was a member of the East Palmyra Christian Reformed Church and loved spending his time with his kids and grand kids.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Catherine (Admiraal); four children Caroline (Wayne) Kamminga of Vineland Canada, Judy (William) Benzel of Wanakena, NY, Timothy (Dora) Peelen of LeBanon, PA, and Linda (Johnny) Kellogg of Port Gibson, NY, fourteen grandchildren, a sister Grietje Peelen, brothers Everard, Carel, Gerrit, Harry and Nico Peelen all of the Netherlands, many nieces and nephews. Gerald was predeceased by his parents and two brothers Jan and Jaap Peelen.

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