Glenn Van Der Sluys passed peacefully on May 26, 2023, surrounded by the love he spent his life cultivating. He was 68.
If you’ve never had a friend you could always rely on, who could always make you feel included, appreciated and loved, then you never met Glenn.
Born Feb. 12, 1955, in Ridgewood to Barbara and the late Henry Van Der Sluys, Glenn spent his childhood with his younger brothers, Kenneth and Roy, in Oakland.
His parents moved to Ringwood when he was a teenager, and he began attending Lakeland Regional High School as a freshman. There he was known for his athleticism on the track, his love of motorcycles, and his outgoing and friendly demeanor.
A few months after graduating in 1973, he was introduced to the love of his life, Pompton Lakes High School senior Kathleen Squire. The two married in 1976 and would have celebrated 47 years of marriage on May 29.
Together, they raised their two children, Kimberly and Scott, primarily in Vernon, with a few years living just outside Louisville, Ky., in the early 1990s.
The majority of Glenn’s career was spent in the flooring industry, mostly in sales, which led to him becoming an avid golfer. His natural charisma and honest approach to selling made him responsible for the flooring in some of the most popular and prestigious locations in and around New York City (and he was sure to let you know if you stepped foot in one of them).
Business aside, Glenn’s greatest accomplishments were the relationships he had with others. He was an exceptionally loving husband and father who was always involved with his family, both immediate and extended. He attended countless dance recitals and basketball games to watch his daughter cheer, and he was his son’s tee-ball coach and Scoutmaster.
He and his wife hosted the majority of the family holidays, where he could express his love of cooking and watch his favorite football team, the Dallas Cowboys, play every Thanksgiving. He especially loved to spend time with his grandsons, Joseph Coniglio and Archer Van Der Sluys.
Everywhere Glenn went, people naturally gravitated to him, and he could turn a room full of strangers into a room full of friends. He never had an agenda other than genuinely wanting to connect with people. His judgment-free and easygoing personality, his sense of humor, and his stories and jokes captivated the hearts of everyone who knew him.
He will be achingly missed by his family: those bound to him by blood or marriage and those who are a part of the family he forged from strangers he met on the great adventure that was the 68 years of his life.
His wishes were to forgo a traditional service and have his ashes spread during a small family gathering, then have a large celebration of life party with all of his friends and family in attendance.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in his name.
Cremation is private and under the direction of Ferguson-Vernon Funeral Home, 241 Route 94, Vernon.