Joseph P. Ahrens

Joseph Ahrens, 83 years old, of River Vale, NJ passed away on September 26, 2014. Son of George and Helen (Furey) Ahrens, he was born in Teaneck, NJ and has resided in River Vale for 57 years. Joe graduated from St. Cecilia’s High School in 1948. He served in the Marine Corps from 1949 to 1955 and was awarded 2 purple hearts for his combat injuries sustained in the Korean War and he was awarded the NJ Distinguished Service Medal. He attended Los Angeles Junior College while in the reserves. Joe joined the NJ State Police in 1955 and retired a Detective Sergeant 1st Class after 30 years of service and was a former member of the NJ State Troopers Association. Joe was a member of St. Andrews R.C. Church in Westwood, where he served as a Eucharistic Minister from 1974 to 2004. He was an Eagle Scout as a youth and served as assistant scout master of R.V. Troop 335 for 30 years and was awarded the Silver Beaver Award. Joe was very active in the community of River Vale and he served on the Juvenile Conference Committee which brought Safety Town and the DARE programs to the township. He was the Grand Marshall of the 2003 Memorial Day Parade in remembrance of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War. Joe was also a member of the Marine Corps League in Rockland County and he coordinated the Toys of Tots Program for Northern New Jersey. He is survived by his loving wife Kathleen (Durkin) Ahrens and they were married for 58 years; his 2 loving daughters, Patricia Meckler and her husband Dennis and Mary Rodriguez and her husband Jorge; his 4 grandchildren, Jeffrey Gum, Julie Gum, Kevin Rodriguez and Meredith Meckler and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his daughter, Kathleen Ahrens; his brother, Rev. Noel Ahrens; and his two grandsons, Sean Rodriguez and Christopher Gum. Funeral from the Becker Funeral Home on Wednesday 9:30am with a 10:30am funeral mass at St. Andrews Church, Westwood. Interment will follow in Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Tenafly, NJ. Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday 2-4 & 6-8pm at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675 or at www.woundedwarriorproject.org or to St. Andrews Church, 120 Washington Ave., Westwood, NJ 07675 in his memory.