John Walbach Edelen

John Walbach Edelen (b. January 6, 1928) of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, formerly of Alpharetta, GA, and Roseland / Livingston, N.J., died Thursday, January 29, 2015. He is survived by beloved family members, two sons, John Wm. Edelen (Karen) and Glenn Edelen (Shelly); a daughter, Kathleen Edelen; sister, Theresa Westerman; sisters-in-law, Betty Edelen and Rosemary Conti Edelen; grandchildren, Patrick Koch (Shannon), Christopher Koch (Emily), Rebecca Zimmermann (Kurt), Samantha Perry (Ronnie), and Shane Edelen; three great-grandchildren and one on the way; children-in-law Suzette Vandewiele and Doug Koch; and thirty-five nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosemary Cronin Edelen, his parents, Emogene (Mudd) and Dr. James J. Edelen; sister, Mary Louise Edelen, brothers, James Edelen, Robert Edelen, and Richard Edelen; and fourteen sisters/brothers-in-law.

A native of East Orange, NJ, Mr. Edelen attended Blessed Sacrament elementary school, and Delbarton and St Benedict’s high schools. He served with the Merchant Marines at the end of WWII. Mr. Edelen fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a fireman and served as a captain on the East Orange Fire Department for 38 years. Before retiring, he acted as Communications Officer and was instrumental in converting the department from the call-box to the 911 system. Mr. Edelen was the co-founder of The Bell & Siren Club, a fire buff service organization still active in Newark, NJ, and was a member of the Greater Essex Fire Brigade (NJ). During his retirement in Georgia, he was a member of the Knights of Columbus (Roswell, GA), the Metropolitan Fire Association (Atlanta), and the St Andrew’s “Over 55” club. He was an active woodworker with the Alpharetta Golden Age Club.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2 P.M. on Saturday, February 7, 2015, at St. Brigid Catholic Church, 3400 Old Alabama Road, Johns Creek, GA. Internment at Green Lawn Cemetery & Mausoleum, 950 Mansell Road, Roswell, GA.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to further the work of The Bell and Siren Club. Donations may be sent to: The Bell and Siren Club, PO Box 269, Caldwell, NJ 07006. For information on credit card donations, please go to their web site at: www.bellandsirenclub.org and click on the Donations Tab.