Clifford Joel Lundquist

Clifford Joel Lundquist
07/22/1922 - 04/20/2014

Clifford J. Lundquist, 91, of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, passed away on Sunday, April 20, 2014 at Brighton Gardens of Florham Park, NJ.

Clifford was born on July 22, 1922 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Joel and Signe (nee Anderson) Lundquist.

Cliff was a 1944 graduate of the New York Maritime Academy at Fort Schuyler and earned the commission of Lieutenant, JG. He was a World War II veteran and chose to serve in a non-combat role as an engineer on oil tankers crossing the Atlantic and Pacific.

He began his 53-year marriage to Ainslee the day after he graduated from the Academy. After the war, in 1949, they moved from Brooklyn to Scotch Plains.

Cliff’s attention to detail and his determination served him well throughout his life. He worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories, Telcordia and Bellcore for the next 47 years. His work with them included defense projects, such as ZMAR, White Alice and Nike Zeus. He also worked on telecommunications infrastructure and coding for equipment compatibility.

In all his endeavors could be found a common thread of service to others. He and Ainslee were members of the United Methodist Church in Scotch Plains since the early 1950’s where they taught Sunday School for many years and worked tirelessly on the building committee for their new church. He volunteered with the Telephone Pioneers of America for decades, administered vision tests to disadvantaged children and adults, he washed dishes in a soup kitchen for the homeless, he was a troop leader in the Boy Scouts, even before his son was old enough to join and he donated over five gallons of blood to the American Red Cross.

Cliff enjoyed singing in the church choir in Brooklyn, was a member of Fred Waring’s Collegiate Chorale and held season tickets to the Metropolitan Opera for many years. His passions also included sailing, swimming and traveling throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Europe. Above all, he loved his family.

Cliff was a true gentleman. He brought caring and compassion to everything he did. Later in life when words sometimes eluded him, he could always find a “God bless you” for everyone he met.

He is predeceased by his loving wife, Ainslee J. Lundquist and his sister, Ruth Leinberger. He is survived by his son, Clifford J. Lundquist, Jr. of Wichita, KS, his daughter, Elaine Murdock of Summit, NJ and his granddaughter, Katie Murdock of Summit, NJ. He is also survived by his nephew, Paul Leinberger of CA, and his three nieces, Lisa Roberts of OR, Gretchen Miller of GA, and Karen Leinberger of CO.

A visitation will be held on Friday, April 25, 2014, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Bradley, Brough & Dangler Funeral Home, 309 Springfield Ave, Summit, NJ 07901. A funeral service will be at 7:30 in the funeral home.

Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to the United Methodist Church of Scotch Plains, the United Methodist Church of Green Village or the American Diabetes Association. For further information, to order flowers or to send the family a condolence, please visit www.bradleyfuneralhomes.com.


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