Martinsville Volunteer Fire Department

On Saturday the 5th of November the members had their annual Certification/ Recertification for their bailout systems they carry. Each member had to perform multiple jumps to show competence and confidence in the use of the system.

Visitation and the Fireman Prayer Services and Celebration of Life for Robert J. Ring will be held on Thursday, June 30, 2011, 2-4 & 6-9 pm at Higgins Home for Funerals, Watchung, NJ. The Fireman Prayer Service will be at 7:00 pm.

It brings great sadness to announce the passing of Martinsville Volunteer Fire Department Life member, Robert J. Ring (Bob). Bob passed away at home following his discharge from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center on Tuesday, June 28, 2011.

He was born in Chicago, IL and had lived in Martinsville for 46 years.

Bob graduated from Fairmont High School in Minnesota in 1956 and Lincoln Tech and he also attended the Newark College of Engineering.

He served in the US Army Signal Corp from 1957- 1959 and was stationed at Fort Monmouth where he met his future wife at a dance.

Prior to his retirement in 2006, he was the Chairman of Meyer & Depew Heating & Cooling in Kenilworth where he had worked since 1961. He was a Certificate Member Specialist of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society and a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers.

Bob was a 46 year member of the Martinsville Volunteer Fire Dept., and a Communicant of Blessed Sacrament Church in Martinsville. He was the Assistant Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troops 146 and 46 in Martinsville where he led a contingent of scouts to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. He was a Member of Our Lady of the Hills Council 5959 of Knights of Columbus in Martinsville and a Past Faithful Navigator of the George Washington Assembly of the Knights of Columbus in Somerville. He was also a member of the 200 Club of Somerset County, an organization which supports Emergency Services.

He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hiking and backpacking, especially in the Adirondack Mountains of New York where he owned a vacation home. He was a member of the Hurricane Mountain Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club in Keene, NY and an Adirondack 46'er, having hiked all 46 peaks over 4,000 feet in elevation in the Adirondack Mountains.

Bob was a lifelong traveler and in retirement spent considerable time traveling in his motor home with his wife, Gail. He wintered in Webster, FL at Florida Grande Motor Coach Resort where he was a member of the Sumter County Civilian Emergency Response Team.

He is predeceased by his parents, Arthur J. Ring and Claire Logelin Ring and his daughter, Kathleen Ring Allegra in 1999.

Bob is survived by his wife of 51 years, Gail E. Knowles Ring; his son, Robert C., his wife, Pamela and grandchildren, Jennifer and Thomas of Piscataway; his daughter, Allison Ring Abbott, her husband, Mark and grandchildren, Brian and Sarah of Bridgewater; his son Timothy and his wife Theresa and grandchildren Elizabeth and Amanda of Bridgewater; his son-in-law, Joseph Allegra, his wife Patricia and grandson, Matthew of Green Brook and his brothers, James of Chico, CA, Steven of Eden Prairie, MN and John of Levin, New Zealand. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews and numerous cousins.

Funeral services will begin on Friday, July 1st at 9:00 a.m. at Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., Watchung followed by a 10:00 a.m. funeral Mass at Blessed Sacrament Church in Martinsville. Entombment will be at St. Mary's Stony Hill Cemetery in Watchung. Visitation will be on Thursday from 2-4 & 6-9 p.m. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made in Mr. Ring's memory to the American Cancer Society, 7 Ridgedale Ave., Suite 103, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927.

Please keep Bob's family in your prayers during this time.