Chester Tlusty

On January 27th, exactly one month before his 95th birthday, Chester Robert Tlusty passed away peacefully and went on to his heavenly reward. Chet was born on February 27, 1927, the fifth of six children to George and Sophie (Sudol) Tlusty. He lived his entire life in the house where he was born. Chet attended Wallington Public Schools, and in 1945, during his senior year at Thomas Jefferson High School (Lodi, NJ), he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and proudly served his country stateside during World War II, and then during the Korean War, aboard the light cruiser USS Roanoke. He was a life member of VFW Pavlick Koster Post 2640 and enjoyed attending all their state and national conventions across the country. With 5 other friends who called themselves “The Belly Button Club,” Chet was a season ticket holder from 1956 to 2000 for the NY Giants Football Team and rooted for them at the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, Yale Bowl, and the Meadowlands. He also attended 25+ years of Army/Navy Games, (without ever buying a ticket!) and ALWAYS cheering for . . . Army! He enjoyed collecting small pieces of the wooden goalposts, which he dutifully inscribed with the score and date. Chet was a “giver,” and devoted much of his time to church and community. He was a parishioner at Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Wallington where he was a member of the Holy Name Society, Adoration Society and a 4th Degree (life member) of the Knights of Columbus Council 3644. He was also a leader for the Church’s Boy Scout Troop 44 as well as Wallington’s Boy Scout Troop 13, and a firefighter with Wallington Company #1. Chet loved all sports especially golf, football, bowling and softball but most of all baseball where he played at the Polo Grounds as a teenager, was in attendance for Don Larsen’s perfect game with Yogi Berra as the catcher during the ’56 World Series, and later helped establish the Wallington Little League as an original member, coach (of the VFW team) and president. He was employed at UniRoyal in Passaic for many years, even following the company when they relocated to Wayne, NJ. Upon leaving UniRoyal, he was employed by Witco Chemical, Shell Oil, and El Paso Natural Gas. Chet had a magnetic charisma about him. He always had a smile on his face, enjoyed telling jokes and stories to anyone lucky enough to be close by, and enthralled 4 generations of family members. Chet spent an inordinate amount of time with his nieces and nephews when they were growing up. Whether it was ice skating at Dahnert’s Lake, taking them to Bond’s Ice Cream Parlor for “Awful Awfuls,” playing S.P.U.D. in the backyard, going through the “paddle,” teaching them to drive, taking them to Yankee games and making them keep score (6 to 4 to 3), fishing in the Passaic River, or making them lifelong fans of word games such as Jumble and Hangman, time with him filled their childhood with love, adventure, skinned knees, black and blues, and priceless memories. Chet was predeceased by his parents and siblings, Jean (Martinek), Emil, Sister Theresa Marie O.P. (Sophie), Irene, and niece, Georgene. He will be remembered fondly and forever by his surviving sister, Sylvia (Tencza), nephews Daniel and Emil, and nieces Patty, Kathy, Debbie, Carol and Melanie. Visiting 4pm - 7pm, Wednesday, February 2nd, and 9am - 9:30am Thursday, Feburary 3rd, Warner-Wozniak Funeral Service, 80 Midland Avenue, Wallington, NJ 07057. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, February 3rd, at The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 127 Paterson Avenue, Wallington, NJ. Chet will be laid to rest with his family at St. Michael's Cemetery, 120 Saddle River, Road, South Hackensack, NJ. www.WarnerAndWozniak.com