Joseph R Conklin

Joseph R. Conklin, 75, of Franklin Lakes, passed away on Wednesday, January 6, 2021.  Born in Paterson, Joe grew up in Wyckoff before moving to Franklin Lakes for most of his life.

Joe was a kind, loving and memorable father, grandfather, friend, and a lifelong businessman in the local community.  He began at a young age in the 1950’s with Joe’s Radio Repair, fixing the radios of family and friends in town.  A young boy’s hobby turned into a lifetime career, first with the opening of the retail store, Conklin’s, Inc., when he was 19 years old, in Midland Park.  He subsequently moved his audio-video business to the Wyckoff Shopping Center, where it remained for the next 30 years.  During that time, he was an active member of the Wyckoff Chamber of Commerce.  He later transitioned Conklin’s, Inc. into a specialized service providing custom, audio-video installations in residences and businesses for the remainder of his career.  As a result of his work, what Joe was most proud of was the lifelong friendships and relationships he made in the community.

Some would say his greatest love, besides his family, was the local community of Wyckoff and Franklin Lakes.  He was a longstanding parishioner of the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes.  He was a former student at St. Elizabeth’s School in Wyckoff, where he also attended church in more recent years.  Joe volunteered his time at Valley Hospital serving on the Pastoral Care team since 2001, providing comfort and support to many people in their final moments of life.

Joe will forever be loved and always remembered for his encouraging words and remarkable storytelling.  He is survived by his daughter, Jennifer Babington, her husband Douglas, and his granddaughter Ava, whom she affectionally called Pop-pop.

A funeral mass celebrating Joe’s life will be held on, Saturday, January 16th at 10:00 AM at the St. Elizabeth’s Church, 700 Wyckoff Ave., Wyckoff, NJ.  The mass will be livestreamed at https://saintelizabeths.org/live-streaming.  Arrangements by the Vander Plaat Funeral Home of Wyckoff, www.vpfh.com. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Joseph R. Conklin’s memory can be made to the American Cancer Society, 7 Ridgedale Ave., Suite 103, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927, https://donate3.cancer.org.

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