New Milford, NJ Former Mayor George E. Batterson
October 22, 2008 - George E. Batterson, a former New Milford councilman and mayor best known for building affordable housing for veterans returning from World War II, died Wednesday in a nursing facility.
Mr. Batterson, 102, grew up in Maywood and graduated from Hackensack High School, said his daughter, Merle B. Wade of Bergenfield. Mr. Batterson lived in New Milford for more than 80 years, and served as a Republican councilman there from 1941 to 1947 and as mayor from 1947 to 1950.
During his tenure in government, Mr. Batterson pushed for the construction of a large complex of garden apartments along River Road known then as Batterson's Barracks, but now called the Brookchester Apartments. The federal government contributed money to the project, according to records from the New Milford Borough Hall.
"A lot of people didn't like Batterson's Barracks, but the boys were coming back from war, and I wanted to make sure they could afford to go there," Mr. Batterson told The Record in 2006, when he turned 100 and the borough honored him with a proclamation.
Wadesaid her father worked as a paper salesman for various companies in New York City until he retired at age 65. He was devoted to his family and a staunch cheerleader for the GOP, she said.
"He was a very avid Republican, and I always felt he was very black and white about everything in life," she said. "I always tried to say to him, 'Dad, life is really sort of gray.' "
Wade remembers a time when a contractor who had built the Brookchester Apartments sent a gift basket to the family's second home in Lake Hopatcong, which was built by her grandfather. Her father turned it down.
Mayor Frank DeBari, a Democrat, said Mr. Batterson and his late wife, Beatrice, were well-known throughout town. DeBari said Mr. Batterson contacted him after he was elected mayor. DeBari visited Mr. Batterson several times after he went into the nursing home about five years ago.
"He reached out to me when I became mayor and said, 'If there's anything you ever want to know, come see me,' " DeBari said. "He was a good guy. He was a good mayor."
Wade said her father remained active by bicycling, walking and swimming up until about the time he turned 95. Even in the nursing home, she said, he would urge fellow residents to get up out of bed and move around.
A 1998 article in The Record said Mr. Batterson, then 91, visited the elderly and the sick as part of his volunteer work with the Retired Men's Club at First Congregational Church in River Edge.
Mr. Batterson is survived by his three children and many more grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
BY ASHLEY KINDERGAN
STAFF WRITER
E-mail: kindergan@northjersey.com
Read MoreMr. Batterson, 102, grew up in Maywood and graduated from Hackensack High School, said his daughter, Merle B. Wade of Bergenfield. Mr. Batterson lived in New Milford for more than 80 years, and served as a Republican councilman there from 1941 to 1947 and as mayor from 1947 to 1950.
During his tenure in government, Mr. Batterson pushed for the construction of a large complex of garden apartments along River Road known then as Batterson's Barracks, but now called the Brookchester Apartments. The federal government contributed money to the project, according to records from the New Milford Borough Hall.
"A lot of people didn't like Batterson's Barracks, but the boys were coming back from war, and I wanted to make sure they could afford to go there," Mr. Batterson told The Record in 2006, when he turned 100 and the borough honored him with a proclamation.
Wadesaid her father worked as a paper salesman for various companies in New York City until he retired at age 65. He was devoted to his family and a staunch cheerleader for the GOP, she said.
"He was a very avid Republican, and I always felt he was very black and white about everything in life," she said. "I always tried to say to him, 'Dad, life is really sort of gray.' "
Wade remembers a time when a contractor who had built the Brookchester Apartments sent a gift basket to the family's second home in Lake Hopatcong, which was built by her grandfather. Her father turned it down.
Mayor Frank DeBari, a Democrat, said Mr. Batterson and his late wife, Beatrice, were well-known throughout town. DeBari said Mr. Batterson contacted him after he was elected mayor. DeBari visited Mr. Batterson several times after he went into the nursing home about five years ago.
"He reached out to me when I became mayor and said, 'If there's anything you ever want to know, come see me,' " DeBari said. "He was a good guy. He was a good mayor."
Wade said her father remained active by bicycling, walking and swimming up until about the time he turned 95. Even in the nursing home, she said, he would urge fellow residents to get up out of bed and move around.
A 1998 article in The Record said Mr. Batterson, then 91, visited the elderly and the sick as part of his volunteer work with the Retired Men's Club at First Congregational Church in River Edge.
Mr. Batterson is survived by his three children and many more grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
BY ASHLEY KINDERGAN
STAFF WRITER
E-mail: kindergan@northjersey.com
dennis fleming
on February 24, 2011We are friends of the family and met George, aka Poppy, at their summer home in Lake Hopatcong. He really was "one of my most unforgettable characters". A great conversationlist and loved to talk politics. His recall of all the republican presidents was amazing. (Not too much about the democrats.) He had a long and full life but we still miss him.
Dennis & Cathy
Guest
on October 27, 2008so sad, He was my neighbor growing up. he told alot of stories....he will be missed...