Mr. Ralph E. Herdman

HERDMAN, Ralph Edward of Leonia, NJ, 88, passed away on April 16, 2014. Beloved husband of the late Claire Herdman for 53 years; devoted father of Ralph Jr., Richard and Robert; loving grandfather of Christina and Lila Herdman; dear brother of the late Clifford Herdman; and cherished uncle to his nieces and nephews. Ralph was born and raised in West New York, NJ, where he graduated from St Joseph’s High School. He was a WWII veteran who served in the Army Air Corp in England and Italy. After the war, Ralph returned to West New York and served as Commander of the Monsignor Keyes War Veterans at St. Joseph’s Church. He received his business degree from New York University School of Commerce. He became an international commodities trader and Vice President for Bunge Corporation, where he remained for 37 years before retiring in1989. Ralph married in 1960 and was a devoted husband and father. After moving to Leonia with his family in 1963, he became a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist Church and was actively involved in the Holy Name Society. Ralph traveled frequently for work, affording him and Claire the opportunity to vacation extensively throughout the world. One of Ralph’s passions was flying small-engine airplanes. He was a licensed private pilot and served several terms as president of the CPA Flying Club at Caldwell Airport in New Jersey. Not one to sit still, Ralph was active in retirement. In addition to flying, he took up painting, honed his skills as a pianist and tutored Korean immigrants in English through a local church. He continued to leverage his trading skills in his personal life and loved to follow the financial markets. Ralph was a great storyteller and good listener, always genuinely interested in others. He will be missed by the many people whose lives he touched. Ralph's life will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 23, 2014, between the hours of 3-5 and 7-9 p.m. at Volk Leber Funeral Home, 789 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Funeral services will be held the next day, Thursday, April 24 at 11 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Church, 470 Broad Avenue, Leonia, NJ 07605. In lieu of flowers, Ralph would have requested that you make a donation to your favorite charity